Life is Blind
by frostmoon13
Summary: Zia always thought that her life would always be the same; not really being noticed by anyone, just hanging around on her parents' cruise ship. But a freak accident completely changes everything. When Zia wakes up on the Moby Dick, she is offered the training she'd need to survive the dangerous world of pirates. But how is she going to do that when she's blind? Eventual AceXOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone. This is a story I've been thinking about publishing for a while now. **

**Well, that's me. Always coming up with new things. Oh well. **

**Well, I don't own One Piece. My OC, and this fic were created merely for the fun of it, and have no effect on the canon story whatsoever. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Chill, Fire, and Darkness

"Mom! Dad!" I shouted, running down the hall to the captain's quarters. I threw open the door and ran to the large table in the centre of the room, where my parents were sitting.

Dad was in his captain's uniform already, which was so white it should have been a warning posted on it.

'Warning. Do not stare at uniform directly. We do not cover cataracts in the ship insurance.'

Dad's honey blond hair was neatly brushed and slicked back against his neck. His skin was tanned like a marine captains in picture books. Sometimes I wondered how we were related, because we didn't look at all alike. when he saw me, his deep blue eyes twinkled with amusement.

Mom was sitting next to him, reading a newspaper. Her nut brown hair was tucked up into a hairnet. Her chef's uniform was so bright, it should have had the same warning posted. She had slight wrinkles beside her eyes, but I never thought of her as old. Again, sometimes I had a hard time believing we were related. Mom's skin was lightly tanned, and her eyes were a stunning hazel colour. Both my parents looked like they had stepped out of my seafarer stories.

I ran up and jumped on Dad's knee. Dad was reading the business section again. "Can I steer the ship again today?" I asked.

Dad sighed. "I'm sorry, dear." he said, ruffling my bed head style hair. "You're going to have to entertain yourself some other way today. I have to check with the crew in the boiler room. They said they were having some trouble."

I pouted. "Why not?" I said. " I can steer it on my own, and-"

"No." Dad's tone made it clear. No more arguments. Not before his morning coffee.

"Blech!" I said. "I'm eleven years old today, Dad!" I whipped around so I was looking at him straight in the face. "You and Mom are always so busy with work, we haven't celebrated my birthday as a family in a long time!"

Dad sighed. "I told you we'd make it up to you when the cruise is over." He said in an irritated tone. "Run along now. Your mother and I have a lot of work to do today."

"Fine!" I snapped. I stomped to the door. "I'll have fun without you two! I'll have a great birthday on my own!"

"That's nice dear." Mom said

"Don't disturb the passengers like you did last year!" Dad called after me. "I don't want any calls from the steward's office saying you're causing trouble!"

I slammed the door as hard as I could. Why did they always do this? They controlled the ship's schedule! Why couldn't they just postpone their winter cruise until after the new year?

I stalked down the hall, ignoring the bustling passengers making their way to the buffet one deck below.

I wasn't looking where I was going, and I slammed into someone. I knew the guy all too well. He was an aristocrat from the north blue who had sailed with us many times before. He was always wearing a black silk cravat with a cream silk suit. He was staring down at me in that way that I can't stand; the way he looks under his monocle at me and sniffs. "Watch where you're going, you insufferable brat." he said in at snobbish voice of his. "You're ruining the calmness of my cruise. Why your parents don't just leave you at the dock, I have no idea."

Quite honestly, I was asking myself the same question. They never had time for me, especially not on my birthday.

I pushed past the north blue aristocrat and kept going.

"I hate them!" I growled under my breath. "I hate them I hate them I hate them!"

I needed some time on my own after that.

I opened the door that led to the outer deck, and stepped outside.

immediately, I shivered. It was seven o'clock in the morning on December 31st. Of course it would be cold. Especially in this end of the grand line. The light from the rising sun caught the tips of the ice floating in the crystal clear water, turning everything beautiful shades of pink, orange, red, and other colours that I couldn't place a name on, since I'd never seen them before.

I leaned against the rail, staring out at the sea. I smiled. I was alone out there. It was fairly early, and so cold not even the teenagers would be thinking of hanging out outside.

I stared at the ocean until the sun had fully risen.

I waved to a lone seagull that dared to fly out over the ocean to look for its breakfast. seagulls eat fish and other sea life, of course, but this was the grand line, so occasionally the fish catch them.

I watched the seagull so a nose dive into the surf and come up again, a wriggling silver fish trapped in its beak.

It was about then that I decided it would probably be a good idea to go in. I probably would have stayed out longer, but I seriously didn't want to catch hypothermia on my birthday. That would just suck.

That's when everything went wrong. The ship gave an almighty lurch, and I was thrown into the railing. I couched as the wind was kncied out of me.

The alarm blared. Then, the boat started to shake.

I struggled to my feet, supporting myself with one hand against the rail. As soon as I caught my breath, I dashed for the door to the captain's quarters. I needed to find Dad and ask him what the heck was going on!

I ran to the door and flung it open. I stepped over the threshold and that's when everything started to rattle. I fell to the floor with a loud thump!

Suddenly, a white flash wiped everything from view.

Before I knew what was happening, there was a flash of heat, a loud boom, and everything went red, then black.

* * *

Dark. That was the first thing I noticed. The undisturbed darkness around me. I felt like I was in some kind of fuzzy cocoon, I could tell something was happening, but otherwise unable to tell what that something might be; completely severed from my senses.

Something was pressing on my chest, but it seemed very far away. Something brushed against my mouth, but it was like passing breeze. Then something hit my chest again. This time it felt like someone was really pushing hard. That's when I felt something rise from my chest into my mouth. I couched, and something wet dribbled down my chin. Then, someone applied pressure to my nose. Something touched my mouth, and I felt my lungs filled with air.

I sat bolt upright, gasping. I was teetering on the edge of panic, what with the constant darkness and all.

Then I realized it would be a good idea if I opened my eyes. What I didn't understand was, it was just as dark as with them shut.

"Ah, you're awake. Good."

I nearly jumped out of my skin. of course there was someone with me. We were rocking back and forth, side to side. I guessed we were on a small boat.

"Where? What? Who?" I stammered. Now that I was regaining consciousness, I realized that my body hurt all over.

"I found you floating in the ocean." The guy said. At least, it sounded like a guy,anyway. "What on earth happened to you?"

I blinked. "There... There was a flash of light... Everything went red, then black."

The guy put his hand on my shoulder. "How do you feel, kid?" He asked.

I groaned. "Like I've been tossed from the fridge to the fire to the freezer, stomped on a few times, then pummelled into submission by a gorilla." I said, rubbing my temples. Then I decided to ask about the darkness. "Is the blindfold really needed?" I asked timidly. "Did I do something wrong?"

There was a short, awkward pause.

Finally, the guy said, "You aren't blindfolded, kid." He said.

I felt my throat close. "I-I can't see anything." I said in a panic. "I can't see!"

I staggered backwards a step. I could feel my pulse racing. This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening! This was all probably just a nightmare. Yeah, that's it!

I tripped over my own two feet and fell backwards on my butt. I gripped the sides of my head, my fingernails scratching harshly against my scalp. I was hyperventilating!

Someone grabbed my shoulders and hauled me up. "Calm down!"

Those words cut through me like a knife through butter. I felt the world spinning around me, then I passed out.

* * *

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

I twitched. What was that? It was giving me a headache. I wanted to call to Dad, or Mom, or someone. All that came out of my mouth was a weak whimper.

I tried opening my eyes, but it was really dark. Well, that rules out all this being a bad dream.

I tried to sit up, but something against my arms held me back. I could feel a slight tug inside my arms, my elbows, my chest, even over my mouth and nose.

To top it off, I was seemingly alone.

I should probably mention this, I'm only slightly afraid of the dark, and this perpetual, open-your-eye-and-see-nothing-but-darkness thing was really starting to scare me.

I felt my heart hammer against my chest, I started hyperventilating. I made a move to sit up, when someone put their hand on my shoulder and gently pushed me back down.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, kid." he said.

"Where...?" I asked.

"You're in the ship sickbay." The guy said.

"The Patience?" I asked hopefully.

There was a short pause. I wondered if the guy had left. Then he said, "No. Your ship exploded. I'm sorry kid."

"Exploded..." I groaned. How was I even alive? My voice sounded cracked and dry as sandpaper.

I felt something press against my mouth.

"Here."

It was a glass. I couldn't move my arms, but the guy was tipping the glass for me.

I drank the offered water gratefully. But I still had a question that needed to be answered.

"Who are you, anyway?" I asked.

"My name is Marco." He said. "First division commander of the Whitebeard pirates."

I gasped. Whitebeard pirates?! Oh no... What did I do in a previous life to deserve this?! I tried to hide underneath my covers, but I couldn't move. Even if I could, I wouldn't be able to move because of the tubes in my arms and the mask over my mouth and nose.

"I'm on a pirate ship." I said weakly. "I'm gonna be sick."

I heard Marco sigh. "Look, kid." he said. "You've been in our sickbay for three weeks. If we were going to kill or hurt you, do you think we'd use so much medical supplies? Do you realize you've been on life support for the whole time?"

I sighed raggedly. "I guess not." I said weakly.

Marco put his hand on my forehead.

I flinched at his touch. Oddly enough, it was really warm. The temperature was so different from what I was expecting, I shivered.

"Just try to get some rest." Marco said. "Just because you woke up doesn't mean you're in any condition to do much at all."

Somehow, I found the slight drawl in his voice kinda comforting... slightly. I sighed and relaxed. Suddenly I felt really tired and groggy.

"So," Marco said. "Are you gonna tell me your name, or do I have to make one up for you?" He sounded very far away, like he was speaking across a large, empty room.

I had just enough energy say one more thing. "Zia."

The last thing I heard before I drifted off was Marco saying, "Zia, eh? Welcome aboard the Moby Dick."

* * *

Marco stared at the snoozing kid in front of him. Her hands were still gripping the white bed sheet so tightly she had left scratches on the rough fabric. He guessed the painkillers were starting to kick in. The doctors had said something about the medicine causing sleep.

He figured she'd be out for another few hours. It was probably okay to leave her alone for a little while.

He had better report to Pops.

**Well, that's chapter 1! Geez, Zia's been given a lot to think about when she wakes up! **

**Oh, by the way, this is about six years before Luffy sets out to sea. **

**Anywho, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, but life has been really hectic. Well, chapter 2 is a long one. Hope it makes up for the late update. **

**Anyway, I don't own One Piece or any of the characters except for my OC, and quite frankly, inside my head, all my OCs would probably disagree with me. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoy! **

Chapter 2

When I woke up again, I wondered if I had. Then I heard the beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! of the life support system. Great.  
Judging by the lack of noise besides the life support system, I was alone. Also, I was thirsty. But, of course, I couldn't move. "Hello?" I called. My voice echoed across the walls.  
There was no response.  
I sighed and shut my eyes, even though I knew it wouldn't make a whit of difference.  
I shivered. I felt so alone.  
"Hey kid." Marco's voice came from the darkness.  
I relaxed a bit. At least it was someone I knew, even if he was a pirate. "what time is it?" I asked. I wasn't sure why I asked. Then, my stomach grumbled. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. Of course, how long had it been since I'd eaten?  
Marco chuckled. "I guess you're pretty hungry. Hang on a minute, I'll get you something."  
There was a creak, and then a click. I sighed. It took a few deep breaths, and tried to not think about the pit that had settled in my stomach. My stomach growled again.  
"Shut up." I told it. "You're growling to the wrong person."  
My stomach growled again.  
I sighed in defeat.  
It felt like forever before the door creaked open again. Marco must have been wearing heavy boots, because there was a soft clicking whenever he took a step. The most delicious smell wafted through the room. I'm serious, if you haven't eaten in three weeks, the smell of minestrone soup is enough to drive you crazy. Even if you're the type who isn't really that good about eating their vegetables. Yup, I'm more a meat and potatoes person.  
"The doctors said you're good to have that mask off, but you can't eat solid food. So, I asked Thatch in the galley to whip up some soup for you."  
I tested to see if I could move my arms. Of course I couldn't. "I can hold it." I said. Don't ask why. I guess I didn't want to look any weaker than I already looked.  
"You sure, kid?" He said. I could hear the doubt in his voice. "It's pretty hot, and it might be tricky for you to hold the plate it comes on."  
"I can handle the plate the bowl stays on." I lied. "I like the design on the plate, by the way."  
Marco sighed. "What plate?" he said.  
I sighed. For a second, I thought if there was a will, there was a way, but that was a long shot. "Hey... Marco?" I asked. "I really am blind, aren't I?"  
There was a short pause, in which I thought Marco might have nodded. "Yeah, you are."  
I sighed. "Fine... I need help with my soup... please."  
"Sure thing, kid." Marco said.  
The soup was hot, but it was really good, or as good as a veggie only soup can be. The broth tasted smooth and creamy, and the veggies were soft and well-cooked.  
I felt kinda stupid, being spoon-fed by some pirate I barely knew, hell, I felt weak and stupid being blind and bedridden. I swear Marco smirked whenever he wiped soup drips from my chin.  
It took about an hour, according to Marco, but it was still a painfully long time to me.  
Once, one of us slipped up, and the hot soup splashed on my chest.  
I gasped.  
The next few minutes were a blur of ripping and heat and Marco shouting, "THATCH! Thatch, come here!"  
The door gave a loud creak like it had just been thrown open. There was a staccato clicking of boot heels on the floor, and a new voice said, "What's ruffled your feathers, Marco- oh. Yeah, I see what's ruffled your feathers."  
"Very funny,Thatch." Marco said sarcastically. "What do you know about healing burns?"  
"Soup burns," the new voice said. "I would use an ice pack. I've got one here."  
That's when something cold was pressed against my chest. I gasped in shock, and I would have shot up if Marco hadn't stopped me with his hand.  
A cold feeling spread over my burned skin. Now, normally I can't stand the cold, but in that case, nothing could have made me feel better.  
After that, things calmed down enough for a conversation with the newcomer.  
"Zia," Marco said, sounding slightly annoyed. "Meet thatch. Thatch, this is Zia, the kid I brought on board."  
The newcomer, Thatch, took my limp hand in his larger one. He shook it so hard, I thought it was going to come off. "The name's Thatch!" he said. "Chef extraordinaire! I'm probably the best seafaring pirate chef in the new world!"  
I swear I could hear Marco sigh in annoyance.  
I frowned. "My mom always said that if a male chef boasts like that, they're either giving their cooking way too much credit, or they're overcompensating for something."  
Beside me, Marco snorted.  
"Why you-" Thatch said.  
"Take it easy, Thatch." Marco said.  
"Fine, fine..." Thatch grumbled.  
I blushed. Honestly, I didn't know what he'd be overcompensating for. Mom hadn't explained that to me yet. "Sorry." I said.  
"Ah," Thatch said. "No problem, Zika. "  
"It's Zia." I said.  
"Oh, that's right!" Marco said. "Pops wants to speak to you when you're healthy enough to walk a bit."  
I felt the blood drain from my face. What on earth would Whitebeard want with me? I felt a bit nauseous just thinking about that name.  
"Don't worry." Marco said, patting my shoulder. "We're not just going to drop you off on shore, and Pops wouldn't let you come to harm on his ship."  
"I'm not worried." I lied.  
"Zia," Marco said lightly. "You are a terrible liar. Besides, you got really pale when I mentioned Pops."  
I sighed nervously. "Okay..."  
"Well," Marco said. "We should leave you to get some rest. It's almost ten o'clock."  
I was about to protest that I'd been sleeping for the better part of three weeks, and I wasn't tired, but I nodded.  
"See you tomorrow." Marco said.  
I tried to ignore the 'see' part in that, and I said, "g'night."

* * *

Marco and Thatch left the room as quietly as they could.  
Zia had looked like she was going to protest at going to sleep for the night, but she had fallen asleep before they had even opened the door.  
Marco guessed it was just too much excitement for her for two hours, although he definitely didn't think much of the soup fiasco.  
"She's really looking better." Thatch said as they walked down the deck towards the galley. "She looked like a corpse before."  
"Thatch, don't be rude." Marco said curtly. But he was right.  
Zia still looked like she could get sick at any moment, her skin was so pale, and that was only heightened by her raspberry coloured hair and her sea green eyes, even the splash of freckles across her nose.  
When he had brought her on board, she'd been unconscious, covered in horrible burns, and, according to the doctors, slightly concussed.  
He had figured Zia would take being aboard a pirate ship, a ship of one of the Yonko no less, a lot harder than she had. The flash of fear at the start was expected, but it had disappeared as soon as he'd explained that she wouldn't come to harm. Of course, it might've been the result of her still very low energy level.  
Marco wasn't even sure why he had told the kid in the first place. He could have just told her his name. There were plenty of Marcos out there, he was sure.  
When they got to the galley, Marco turned to Thatch and said, "I'll catch up with you in a moment. I've got some things to talk to Pops about."  
Thatch nodded. "Hey, Marco..." he said.  
"Yeah?"  
"That kid is really scary looking, you know? With the reddish pink hair and all."  
Marco rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his unruly blond hair. "Zia would probably say the same about you, pal, if she could see you."  
Thatch shrugged. "Well, I am so good-looking, it's terrifying." He said with a smirk.  
Marco rolled his eyes at his friend, unconsciously taking in the honey blond pompadour, the pointed beard, the smug look, the purple form fitting suit and the small black shoes that was Thatch. He was the poster boy for hunks... Right...  
"See you." he said as he walked to centre stern.

* * *

He stopped at Whitebeard's door, and knocked. "It's Marco." he called. He stepped in when bidden to do so.  
"Ah! Marco! How goes our young guest in sickbay?"  
"Better than before, that's for sure." Marco said, sitting down at his captain's feet. "Although I think the minestrone soup fiasco was a little too much excitement for her."  
Whitebeard laughed. A booming sound that made the entire ship quiver.  
Marco had no doubt that even without his devil fruit power, Pops could have made this happen. He was such a big presence.  
"you will have to tell me that story later, my son." he chuckled.  
Marco chuckled at the memory of that comment Zia had made about Thatch overcompensating for something. He was sure the kid had absolutely no idea what she had said. I mean, seriously, what eleven-year-old uses the word 'overcompensating', on a regular basis, anyway? The look on Thatch's face had been beyond priceless, though.  
Marco had been pretty impressed that Zia had managed to shut Thatch up. Even if she had no idea what she was saying.  
"Oh, yeah." He said, looking up at Whitebeard. "She looked a little distressed when I told her you wanted to speak with her later. I told her everything would be fine, though."  
Whitebeard nodded. "There is one thing I've learned over the years, Marco, and that's that I can be very frightening to children."

* * *

"Hey, Zia."  
I opened my eyes, remembered I was completely blind, and groaned. I turned over and buried my head under my pillow and pulled the covers over my hair.  
"C'mon. Get up." Marco said. "It's past eleven o'clock."  
"Just a few more minutes..." I groaned.  
There was a shuffle across the wooden floor, then Marco started shaking my shoulder. "C'mon." he said. "You can't sleep the day away."  
"Goway..." I grumbled into my pillow.  
There was a short pause, then Marco pulled the covers right off me.  
I yelped as the cold morning air washed over me. I must have jumped a foot in the air, and I landed in a sitting position on the mattress. "Marco!" I yelped.  
Marco's carefree chuckle couldn't have made me feel more irritated than that moment. "Well," he said. "We ready to get up yet?"  
I groaned again, and dragged myself up.  
I heard Marco snort.  
"What?" I asked.  
Marco chuckled a bit.  
I frowned. "It's my hair, isn't it?" I deadpanned.  
"How did you-" he began.  
"Just because I was blinded doesn't mean everything else has changed." I knew my hair always looked like it had become the nest of a hyperactive squirrel in the morning. In other words, my hair always looked like I was into sticking my fingers in electric sockets. My hair always stuck up at odd angles.  
"What's wrong, Marco?" I asked.  
Marco paused. "I told you Pops wanted to see you."  
I blanched. "Um... I dunno..." I said.  
Marco chuckled. "Pops is a very nice man. Don't worry."  
"He's a famous pirate." I said sarcastically. "What would possibly make me nervous about meeting him?"  
"You're talking to me." Marco said. "I'm a pretty dangerous pirate."  
"You're not making this any easier for me, Marco." I said, chewing my lower lip.  
Marco put his hand on my shoulder and steered me out of my room, or that's what he told me anyway. "C'mon." he said. "Let's go."  
the deck of the Moby Dick was one of the loudest places I'd ever been. I could barely tell where Marco's voice was coming from.  
We stopped after what felt like two minutes.  
"Jozu!" Marco said. "This is Zia."  
Someone took my hand. The guy's hand was freaking huge! I could have splayed my fingers out and not been able to touch the base of his fingers!  
"Hello." The guy said in a very deep voice. "I'm Jozu. Third division commander."  
I raised an eyebrow. I looked up, maybe too high, to where I thought Marco was. "How many divisions are there?" I asked.  
"Sixteen." Jozu said. "How many other commanders have you met besides Marco?"  
I tapped my forehead. "I met that Hatch guy." I said.  
"You mean Thatch." Marco said.  
"I spoke to him last night." Jozu said. "He seemed miffed about something."  
That's when I decided to pipe up. "Maybe it's because of what I said. By the way, what does over-"  
"Okay!" Marco said, steering me away. "Pops is waiting. Jozu, if you want to come, come with! We gotta go!"  
Marco started dragging me towards wherever we were going a little more enthusiastically.  
"I didn't finish asking my question!" I complained.  
"I'll explain later." Marco said. He sounded embarrassed.  
He stopped after a couple of minutes.  
I kept walking and walked right into Marco's back. "Ouch!" I muttered.  
"Come in!" a voice boomed. It seemed to shake the deck under my feet.  
During the walk to... wherever we were going, I was starting to feel a little less nervous about this, you know, maybe Whitebeard wasn't going to be as bad as I thought, if he was anything like his crew. That "come in" shattered whatever confidence I had built up over the past few weeks.  
I wondered how much energy it would take me to dig my heels into the deck.  
"Well," Marco said, taking a deep breath. "You ready?"  
"About as ready as I am to jump overboard." I said.  
Marco patted my shoulder. "Don't worry. I swear no one is going to hurt you."

* * *

We stepped into what sounded like a smaller room judging by the echos on the walls. It must have been really crowded. Marco steered me somewhere then let go of my shoulder.  
"Marco-" I said.  
"So! You're Zia?" that voice boomed again.  
I flinched. I felt like a prisoner inside a dark room, listening to a marine officer as they questioned me over a Den-den mushi.  
"You don't need to be so nervous." the voice boomed. "I'm Whitebeard."  
I shivered. "Ummm..." I said.  
"You're Zia, right?" Whitebeard said.  
I nodded slightly. "Cassiopeia D. Zia..." I said quietly.  
"Oh." Whitebeard said. "The will of D. Interesting."  
I flinched again.  
"How old are you, Zia?" he asked. He was making chit-chat? This wasn't what I was expecting.  
"Eleven." I said. Normally, I would have asked how old he was, but I didn't really feel comfortable talking to this very dangerous pirate. Besides, Mom had taught me not to ask an adult their age.  
"Well," Whitebeard said. "How many of the commanders have you met?"  
There was an awkward pause before I said, "Three."  
That's when someone behind me said, "Let me guess who they are."  
"Shut up, Izo." Thatch's voice said.  
I gulped. "How many people are there here?" I asked.  
"Sixteen, besides you."  
I shivered. The thought of having so many people around me really gave me the creeps.  
"Zia," Whitebeard said. "This might be out of the blue, but how would you like to sail the seas under my name? Become my-"  
"Wait a minute!" I said. Okay, I just cut off a Yonko. Suicidal, much. "what about my mom and dad?" I asked. "Did you guys find them, too?"  
There was a very long silence.  
"Well?" I asked.  
I heard Marco clear his throat. "I searched through the wreckage a few weeks ago..." He said. "I couldn't find anything. I'm sorry Zia. Your parents are gone."  
It was almost as if someone had sucked all the air out of the room. I started to tremble. The invisible world reeled around me. I hit my head against something hard, then I blacked out.

* * *

Silence fell in the room. Whitebeard and all fifteen commanders stared at the unconscious redheaded kid just lying on the floor.  
"Way to go, Marco." Thatch said. "You could have been a little nicer about it."  
"I broke it to her as gently as I could!" Marco protested. "I didn't know she'd faint!"  
Then, Marco looked down at Zia. There was something wrong. He bent down and placed his hand on her head. He looked at the warm blood that lightly coated his fingers. "Oh, shit." He swore. "She hit her head too hard!" He picked up the limp kid, careful to position her head so she wouldn't lose any more blood. He nodded to Izo, who followed him out of the room.

* * *

"So, Marco. How's the kid?" Whitebeard asked.  
Marco sighed. "Izo's looking after her in sickbay." He said. "I seriously hoped I could take her out of sickbay for one day without her getting herself hurt. Guess it was too much to ask."  
Marco looked up to his captain. "Why did you ask her to join the crew, Pops?" He asked. "I thought you were dead against it before."  
Whitebeard was silent for a moment.  
"Not that I'm complaining." Marco said. "It's not like we can leave her at the next island. She's a blind orphan."  
"She'll probably be waking up soon." Whitebeard said. "You might want to be there."  
Marco paused. "Why me?" Okay, probably a dumb question. But it was out before he could think.  
"She trusts you, you know." Whitebeard said. "And she's going through a tough time."  
Marco nodded. "I know..."

* * *

Marco stepped out on deck and shut the door quietly behind him. He gasped at what he saw.  
Zia was lying on her back, out in the middle of the deck, her eyes fixed upward.  
"Zia!" he said, walking up to her and sitting down beside her. "What are you doing out here? You shouldn't be out of bed yet!"  
"I wanted to see the stars." she said. "I figured I could be closer to Mom and Dad too..."  
Marco sighed. He flopped down on his back. "Zia... I don't know what to say."  
Zia's eyes sparkled with tears. "Marco...?" she asked, still not taking her eyes off the sky. "Where are your parents?"  
Marco sighed. "My mother's dead." he said. "Died when I was really young. I haven't thought about my old man since I was fourteen. Dad was a buisinessman. Ma worked odd jobs. She died of sickness and stress when I was thirteen. Dad didn't even lift a finger to help me after Ma died. I couldn't stand it anymore. I ran away from home when I was fourteen. Pops took me under his wing the next year."  
Zia nodded slightly. "My dad was the head of his own cruise line. The patience. Patience was Dad's pride and joy. Mom was the head chef on the patience. She was the best cook in the North Blue." She swallowed hard. "The day they died..." she said. "It was my birthday. We were in the middle of a cruise. I was complaining that we never spent my birthday together. We were always on a cruise... The last thing I ever said to them was some angry words. If I'd known that would be the last time I'd ever speak to them..." A tear streaked down her cheek.  
Marco put his hand on her shoulder. Now he was really at a loss for words. He had never been very good with kids. "I... I don't know what to say." he said.  
"Marco?" she asked.  
"Hmm?"  
"Why do you guys call Whitebeard 'Pops'?"  
Marco smiled. "Because he considers his crew his sons. We're all just a bunch of strays here. This crew is my family."  
Zia frowned slightly. "Why would a bunch of pirates call each other family? Pirates sail the seas, raiding marine ships and cargo ships, killing innocent people and stealing treasure. I bet if a pirate could get his hands on a bet of gold, he'd throw his crew mates to the sharks."  
Marco frowned, slightly offended by what Zia had just said. He completely understood, of course, but it still cut deep. "We're not that kind of crew, Zia." he said, ruffling her hair. "Pops isn't into treasure, really. And we all look out for each other. We're a family. It makes us feel good, whether Pops means it or not."  
Zia was silent for a long time afterward.  
Marco shifted his weight so he was still in a comfortable position, but could see the kid out of the corner of his eye.  
Zia tilted her head towards him. "Can you point my hand up towards the north?" she asked, pointing towards the sky.  
Marco nodded and took her hand, pointing it towards the north.  
Zia smiled. She pointed slightly above. "That's Draco." she said. She pointed to the left. "That's the big dipper over there. There's the North Star, Polaris. Down there's Cassiopeia, the constellation my family's named after. That one that looks like a box is Pegasus."  
"You sure know a lot about the stars." Marco said, impressed that the kid could remember all those names.  
"I'm a stargazer... Or I used to be." she said. "I love the stars. It's kinda like a reminder of how small we really are. Even the sea is only so big."  
Marco nodded. He knew the kid was right.  
"Hey, Marco...?" she asked after a while. "If you were a constellation, which one would you be?"  
Marco thought for a second. "I think I'd be pegasus." he said. "I like winged animals that fly free."  
Zia smiled.  
"How about you?" he asked.  
Zia sighed deeply. "I would be the North Star. I love that star. It's always in the north. Always in one place, there to show you the way home." She fell silent after that.  
Marco didn't feel inclined to break that silence for a while. Finally, he decided to ask.  
"Do you know any other constellations?"  
Zia was still quiet. She didn't even give any sign of acknowledgement.  
"Zia?" he asked, shaking her shoulder. Then he stopped.  
Zia had fallen asleep. Her eyes were shut, her head lolling slightly to the left, and her chest rose and fell steadily with each deep breath she took.  
Marco sighed, and stood up. He gently picked the kid up and made his way to sickbay.  
He was almost there, when Zia woke up.  
She kicked and struggled.  
"Hey, easy Zia..." he said.  
She relaxed a bit against his arm. "Marco..." she said. "What's going on?"  
"You fell asleep." he said. "I thought you'd be better off if you were back in your room."  
"You can put me down." Zia said. "I can walk on my own."  
"It's fine." Marco said, kicking open the door. "We're here anyway."  
He walked over and placed Zia on the bed.  
She fumbled with the covers and crawled under them. She pulled the covers up to her neck and buried her face in the pillow. "I hate this..." she said sadly.  
Marco stepped back a second. "Being... blind?" he asked tentatively.  
Zia nodded, half her face hidden in her pillow. "I feel horrible. I feel disoriented and confused all the time! This stinks! I hate being blind! I want to see the stars, and the sun on the waves, and the clouds and the gulls on the wing... And I want to see you."  
Marco's breath hitched. He hadn't realised how much blindess had distressed this kid.  
Zia dug her fingers into the fabric of her sheets. "I mean, you guys have been so nice to me. You saved my life for crying out loud! And if I had sight, I wouldn't be able to pick you out in a crowd! I- It's disgraceful!"  
Marco put his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Zia..." he said. "Goodnight."  
Zia sniffed, and pulled the covers over her head. "G'night..." she said, her voice muffled.  
Marco stepped out on deck and quietly closed the door behind him. Then he looked up and frowned at the overcast sky.

**Anywho, please review**!


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! So, another day for Zia on the Moby Dick! **

**I'm so happy! I've got so many reviews already! Big thanks to hexgirl13, Coco-san, Ocean-Breeze Mistwolf, feisty2sin, 4fireking, aqua-empress, and Trich! You guys are awesome!**

**Anywho, I don't own One Piece or any of the characters or the plot line. I do own my OCs, but that's about it. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

That morning, I woke up early.

I felt my way along the wall to the door, and pushed it open carefully.

There wasn't much activity on deck, although I could hear a lot of people groaning in what I guessed were the effects of a hangover.

I tripped over something and someone groaned, "Watch where you're going."

"Sorry..." I whispered as I kept going.

I was trying to retrace my steps from yesterday. It was pretty hard, what with being unable to see where I was going, and being half asleep. I nearly tripped over a few more people more than once.

Finally, I found something that felt like a door. Mustering up all my courage, I knocked.

A loud "Come in!" nearly knocked me off my feet. Yup, I was definitely in the right place. I pushed the door open and stepped in.

"Ah! Zia!" Whitebeard boomed. "Good morning! How do you feel, kid?"

"Better than before, thank-you." I said. "Ummm... Whitebeard...?"

"I..." I paused. "I have a question."

"Ask away, kid."

"What were you guys celebrating last night, anyway?" I asked. "I mean, was it someone's birthday or something?"

"No. We were celebrating the thrill of life itself."

I paused for a moment. So, they celebrated just being alive? "Why?"

"Because..." Whitebeard said. "On these dangerous waters, just living to see another day is a reason to celebrate."

"So, you guys were celebrating for no reason except that you could live to see another day?"

"Yup."

I was silent for a few seconds. "Whitebeard?"

"Yeah?"

"Um... You asked me if I wanted to join your crew before I... you know, passed out."

"And?" Whitebeard pressed. "Do you have an answer?"

I nodded. "I do have an answer... Yes. I will join your crew, Whitebeard."

Whitebeard let out another booming laugh. "That's good! Gurararara! And, it's Pops now, brat."

I nodded. "Okay, Pops!"

Suddenly, the door burst open behind me. "Pops! We've got a- Zia!"

I turned around. "Hey Marco." I said. "G'morning."

I felt Marco's hand spin me slightly to the right. (I must have overshot or something) "What on earth are you thinking, Zia? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I just wanted to talk to Pops, that's all."

"Can you at least tell me before you- What?" I could hear the shock in Marco's voice.

Pops laughed. "You're a bit behind the times, Marco." he said. "Show Zia how we do things, Marco. She's under your charge for now. Zia, you and Marco are dismissed."

I nodded. "Yes Pops."

"Ah, yes. Welcome to the family."

I smiled, hoping my face wasn't as red as it felt.

Marco took my hand and led me out of the room, or at least, I thought he did, since I heard the door click shut behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, and I think he was trying to get me to look into his eyes. Not that that would work. "You..." he said, a confused tone in his voice. "You joined the crew?"

I nodded.

I heard Marco chuckle. "Well, I'm proud of you." he said. "Welcome to the crew."

* * *

"This is the galley." Marco said, leading me through a door. "We have a huge kitchen staff, cooking around the clock to feed this huge crew."

I nodded. "Thatch is the head chef, right?" I asked.

"That's right." Marco said. "Hey, Thatch!" he called.

There was a loud crash, an even louder curse, and the rattling of pots and pans against a kitchen floor.

"What's up, Marco?" Thatch's voice sounded like he was buried under a huge pile of something.

"When you untangle yourself from your pots and pans, Thatch, whip something up for Zia. She's just decided to join the crew."

There was another loud crash from where I assumed the kitchen was. "She _what?!_" There was another series of loud noises and the sound of Thatch slipping and scrambling across the floor, and the creak of a swinging door.

"She joined the crew?!" Thatch said.

I could hear a hint of amusement in Marco's drawl. "Yes, Thatch. Now, once you clean out your ears, go and whip something up for her. She missed breakfast, remember?"

"Okay, okay..." Thatch groaned. "Just a minute..."

There was a clinking sound as Thatch hauled himself up off the ground. "What would'ja like for breakfast, Zia?"

"Anything!" I exclaimed. "I'm so hungry, I could eat an island whale!"

Thatch laughed. "Well," he said. "I don't have any whale meat. How 'bout some bacon and eggs instead?"

I giggled. "That's great, thanks!"

I heard Thatch laugh. "Right then! I'll get to it!"

I felt around for a chair or something to sit on. Of course, I was meeting nothing but air.

"Do you want some help?" Marco asked.

"I'm fine..." I said, sticking my tongue out in concentration. "I just need to- oops!" I had tripped over someone's outstretched leg. I hit the floor with a loud crash! "Oww..." I groaned, rubbing my nose.

Marco chuckled before coming over to me and helping me up. "Right." he said. "What was I thinking? You're doing fine on your own."

"Oh, shut up." I said, my face reddening.

Marco helped me find a bench and I climbed up.

Someone beside me spoke up. "Hello commander Marco! Is this the kid you saved?"

Marco spoke up. "Hello, Teech. This is Zia."

I turned my head in the direction the new voice . This one was gravelly and very deep. "Ze ha ha ha ha!" he laughed. "Nice to meet you, kid. I'm Marshall D. Teech!"

I held out my hand. "Cassiopeia D. Zia." I said.

Teech gave that booming laugh again. "Ah, so you're the will of D too! Excellent!"

Marco put his hand on my shoulder. "Zia, if you have a question about the history of the Whitebeard pirates, ask Teech here. He's been on the crew since long before I joined."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you a commander, then?"

Teech laughed. "No, I'm not that ambitious." No, if you want to talk to the second division commander, go to sickbay. He's there."

I frowned. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

Thatch's voice came from right behind me. "Ah, his health isn't stellar, the poor guy. Really funny, though." There was a clink in front of me, and I took a deep breath. "This smells great!"

Thatch laughed. "Dig in! They're waffles, by the way."

My eyes widened. "Wow! Thanks, Thatch!" I felt around for a second, before my hand made contact with the doughy waffle. I picked it up and started wolfing it down.

Marco chuckled. "Zia, you do have cutlery, you know."

"Sho?" I asked between mouthfuls. "I can't shee where to put my fork anywhay."

Beside me, Teech laughed. "Well, the lass does have a point!"

* * *

"Hey, Zia."

"Hm?" I looked up, presumably where Marco was. "What's up, Marco?"

"Time to teach you a few important things about navigation."

I raised an eyebrow, curious. "Navigation?"

"That's right." Marco said. "I'm going to teach you how to navigate by ear." He took my hand, and led me somewhere.

"So," I asked. "What are we doing? What are you going to teach me?"

"Well," Marco said. "We'll start off by doing an extremely important part of this training."

"What is it?!" I asked, almost bouncing up and down with excitement.

"A game of Marco Polo."

I stopped. "What?" I said. "The dumb kid's game?"

I imagine Marco nodded. "Yup. The dumb kid's game. The only difference is, you're always 'it'. You have to find me."

At that moment, I couldn't have felt more like a little kid.

"Marco..." I complained.

"Polo." Marco said from _right_ behind me, making me jump.

"Ha ha." I said. "Very funny."

This turned out to be, not so much a game of Marco Polo, but a very annoying and confusing excersize of bumping into walls and tripping over my own two feet.

Marco's voice seemed to be coming from anywhere except where I was going. Sometimes, it even seemed like he was directly above me, although I knew that was impossible.

"Damn it..." I growled.

"Language, Zia." Marco's voice scolded from behind me.

Ah! I had him this time! I spun on the balls of my feet and ran towards where I thought Marco's voice was coming from. Of course, I tripped over something.

Something that felt like a steel bar hit me square in the stomach. I toppled forward and found myself falling. I yelped and tried desperately to grab anything I could reach.

Suddenly, there was a flash of warmth, like fire was licking at my skin. Of course, I crashed against the hard deck, flat on my back. Instantly, I curled up in a fetal position, coughing like crazy. I finally found my breath and sat up, I heard Marco sigh with what I couldn't tell whether it was annoyance, relief, or amusement. "Well," he said. "We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

"Zia, you met Jozu the other day." Marco said. He led Zia towards the expanse of deck where all the other division commanders, save the second division commander, were standing.

"Alright." he said to Zia. "Lesson two. Learn to remember people by their voices and the feel of their hands. This is something I've never done, so it'll have to be through lots of practice that you master this one."

Vista laughed. "Oh ho. Is that why you called us here, Marco?"

Marco nodded. Then he turned to Zia. "So. First off, you remember what I sound like, I hope." he said.

Zia inclined her head in the direction of his voice. "Of course." she said. "I remember yours, and Thatch's."

Marco smiled. "Good."

It took a while, but the commanders introduced themselves to Zia one by one.

Jozu said hello to Zia again and shook her hand.

Then, Vista, the odd swordsman of a commander with a barrel chest and a huge moustache introduced himself. "Ah, welcome Zia." he said in his deep voice. "Vista, fifth division commander."

Zia looked up, even though it looked like she was staring at his chest. "Nice to meet you." she said.

Blenheim, Blamenco, Speed Jiru, Haruta, Izo, Kingdew, Namir, Fossa, Atmos, Curiel, and Rakuyo introduced themselves.

Every time one of them introduced themselves, Zia's face would contort in concentration as she tried to make sense of the mess of names, voices, and hands.

After Rakuyo introduced himself, she actually flopped back on the floor, splayed back. "Ahhhh..." she said. "This is hard..."

Marco chuckled. "And it's not done yet, Zia."

Everyone laughed at Zia's expression.

"I can barely keep everyone's names straight, letalone learning what they sound like and what their palms feel like..." Zia groaned. "Hey, Marco. What's the secret to doing this?"

Marco stopped. "Ummm..." How was he supposed to tell Zia that he didn't know how to do this himself? "Well, that's for you to figure out, isn't it?" he said, trying to keep his air of confidence.

Zia frowned. "You have no idea, do you?" she asked."

Thatch snorted. "She's blind, but she's not stupid." he chuckled.

Marco walked up to him and shoved his dirty blond pompadour in his eyes. Then he turned back to the eleven-year-old splayed out on the deck. "C'mon, Zia. Time for part two." He grabbed her hand and hauled her to her feet. "Now, no one's expecting you to get it right the first time. Just do your best."

Zia chewed her lip nervously. "What if I get it wrong?" she asked.

Thatch shrugged. "You mess up, we laugh at you. It's simple, really."

Zia blushed. "Marco, I don't want to do this..." she said.

Marco stomped hard on Thatch's foot. "Thatch was just joking, Zia. You'll figure out to take everything he says with a grain of salt, after a while."

Zia sighed. "Okay..." She didn't look any less reluctant, though. Marco fought back the urge to laugh. Zia looked cute when she was nervous. Just the way she chewed her lip and narrowed her eyes.

"Alright. Let's go." Marco motioned for Jozu, Thatch, Haruta, and Namur to come forward.

Namur went first. He shook Zia's hand. The rules were, he couldn't say anything. So she had to figure it out.

Zia frowned. She chewed her lip, and then finally, she said, "Namur."

Namur, a large fishman, grinned. "How on earth did you get that?" he asked.

Zia's ears turned pink with pride. "Well, your skin is kinda rough. Like shark skin, or so I've heard."

"First try's a success." Marco said, smiling. "Next!"

Jozu stepped forward.

Zia's mouth twitched. "Oh... ummm... Trying to remember your name... Jozi!"

Jozu sweatdropped. "Almost. It's Jozu."

Zia laughed nervously. "Oops... My bad."

Next was Haruta. Zia had a hard time with him. She waited about five minutes, frowning and shaking her head. "Ummm... Izo?" she asked.

Haruta had to work hard to suppress a snort. "No, sorry. It's Haruta."

"Ah! I'm sorry!" she yelped.

Haruta laughed and ruffled her hair. "No problem, kid. It's a difficult job you've got to do."

Thatch was last.

Marco motioned with his head for Thatch to step forward.

When she took Thatch's hand, Zia actually smiled. "Thatch! That's an easy one!"

Thatch smirked, looking slightly annoyed. "How did you figure that out so fast?"

Zia shrugged. "Well, your hand's about the same size as Marco's , but it's almost like he's got fire under his skin. So, it's you."

Marco grinned. "You've done a good job today, Zia. You can have a rest now."

Zia smiled with relief. "Actually, that wasn't so bad..."

* * *

"So, why is that?" I asked Marco, as we made our way back to sickbay. We had just gotten back from the galley, where Thatch had prepared an awesome dinner. Roast beef, boiled broccoli, the works!

"Why is what?" Marco asked, a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Why is your hand so warm? It's not natural for a human to be that hot, especially not in their hand."

Marco didn't answer me for a moment. "Well," he said. "It's my devil fruit."

I couldn't believe it. Well, I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of that before. "I've never seen anyone with a devil fruit power before." I said.

"Well," Marco said. "You've met Pops, and Jozu. They've got devil fruit powers as well. And the second division commander has one, too."

I raised my eyebrows. "Jeez... What a crew of power houses."

Marco laughed. "Well, you're going to meet him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" I asked. "Why not now?"

Marco laughed. "Because it is after nine o'clock, and you need your sleep." Besides, the doctor's still not completely convinced you're completely fine. He wants you in sickbay for another two days. That'll give me enough time to organize a permanent bunk for you."

I pouted and sighed. "I should have stayed in the galley." I muttered. "Thatch didn't mind the fact that I wanted to stay."

Marco chuckled. "If Thatch had his way, you'd be up all night." he said. "I, being your division commander, cannot allow that. You've got more training to do tomorrow." I frowned and placed my hand on my back. I hated the feeling of falling on the deck. "Did you use your devil fruit power to toss me back on the deck?"

Marco nodded. "I ate the Tweet-Tweet fruit, Phoenix model. I can turn into a phoenix."

"Oh..." I said. That's when it dawned on me. "You can fly? So _that's _why I could never catch you this morning! You just flew out of the way!" That also explained why I thought I heard Marco's voice above me.

"We'll talk more in the morning." Marco said.

I looked up at him. "Marco, do you really know what you're doing?"

Marco lightly bopped me on the head. "Of course I do." he said. "I just need to experiment."

I rolled my eyes.

"If we're exchanging questions, how 'bout if I have a go." he said. "Why do you keep your eyes open?"

I shrugged. "Well, I guess it's because it feels natural. I don't want to walk around looking like I could walk into a wall at any second."

Then Marco really did laugh. "Well, that's a good reason."

I laughed. Then, I walked smack into a door!

I staggered backward, clutching my nose. "Ouch!" I said.

"Well, Zia, you've got a lot to work on, still." Marco laughed.

"That's not funny!" I said.

"Well, at least we're in sickbay."

I walked through the doorway, and felt my way towards the bed. Once I felt the mattress, I jumped on, making the old springs creak and groan under my weight. I leaned back and pulled the covers over myself.

"Well," Marco said. "Goodnight, Zia."

"G'night." I said. "Oh, Marco?" I said.

There was a sound of shuffling. "Yeah?"

"That was fun..."

I thought Marco smiled. "You get some sleep. We've got a lot to do tomorrow."

There was a quiet click as the door shut.

**I sighed. "My first day as a pirate..." I muttered. "Ah, It's tiring work." I smiled, and put my hands behind my head, staring into the nothingness that was my ceiling, smiling. **

**Oh, now Zia's a whitebeard pirate! More craziness will ensue! **

**Anywho, please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello all! Here's another update! My fingers just flew across the keyboard writing this one!**

**Fourteen reviews! I haven't had that many reviews for three chapters before! **

**Thanks to CallmeEevee, Sarah12cs, MegDBrew, 4fireking, aqua-empress, and Trich. You guys are awesome! I love reading your reviews!**

**Well, anyway, I don't own One Piece or any of it's characters. I only own whatever OCs I think up myself. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

"So, what's the exercise today?" I asked Marco in the galley that morning.

It took Marco a second to finish his bite of food. "Well," he said. "I was thinking more of our first exercise in the morning, and then I'll take you to see the second division commander in sickbay."

I nodded. "So, why's he in sickbay again?"

Marco sighed. "His health isn't the best. He's a really nice guy, though. I think you'll like him. If you don't mind lame jokes."

I chuckled.

* * *

"Okay, now." Marco said. "Today we're going to take it up a notch."

We were back on deck. I could feel the sun beating down on my bare arms and on my face. There was a gentle breeze as well. For a moment, I wasn't paying attention.

Then something hit my nose, and I jumped.

"Are you listening?" Marco asked.

"Yup!" I said, rubbing my nose.

Marco sighed. "Anyway, today, you won't have to stumble around. I'm going to have you avoid me." he said.

"Avoid you?" I asked. "You mean you're going to fly towards me and try to hit me? And I have to dodge you?"

"That's about all there is to it."

I nodded. "Okay."

The first attempt was completely embarrassing. I got all turned around with Marco flying around in circles above me, and he swooped down when I got dizzy, and lightly whacked me over the head.

"Oi!" I complained.

"Focus!" Marco said sharply. "Try again."

We tried again. Over and over again. Every time Marco made another pass, and I missed, Marco would bop me on the head, or flick my ear. Nothing that seriously hurt, just enough to let me know I'd failed again.

It felt like I had been doing this for hours. This time, I shut my eyes.

I could hear Marco flying over me, the wind making a shuffling noise as it passed through his feathers. The shuffling noise turned sharper, suddenly. Was he coming towards me? I couldn't tell.

I decided to act at the last moment. My knees buckled, and I landed flat on my back on the deck.

"Ouch!" I gasped.

There was a clicking sound against the deck, and Marco's hand grabbed mine, pulling me up. "Good job. You avoided me at the last second. Not the most graceful getaway, though."

As soon as I caught my breath, I laughed. "I did it!"

* * *

"So, can we see him now?" I asked.

"Ah, sure, why not?" Marco said. "Veer left a bit."

We were walking towards sickbay, but Marco wasn't holding my hand this time. I was following the sound of his footsteps, which is harder than you'd think. On a crowded deck, it's very hard to focus on one pair of footsteps.

"Oh." Marco said, stopping me by putting his hand on my shoulder. "We're here."

There was a creak as the door opened.

This must have been a different room in sickbay, because there was a great deal of beeping and shuffling that I couldn't remember in my room.

It sounded like there were at least five people there, shuffling though the room. I winced as someone passing by us stepped on my foot.

"Sorry."

I stopped. "That sounded like Izo." I said, more to myself than anyone else.

"It was." Marco said. "Izo helps out in sickbay sometimes. He's a big help."

"Oh." I said.

"Hey Marco." someone said in a shaky voice. "What's brought you in here today?"

"Ah, there you are." Marco said. "Sprint, this is Zia."

The man Marco was talking to chuckled a bit, then burst into a coughing fit, making me jump. "Really? The kid you told me about?" There was a shuffling sound as he hauled himself into a sitting position. "Nice to meet you, kid. I'm Sprint, second division commander." He coughed again.

I frowned. "Cassiopeia D. Zia." I said, holding out my hand. "Are you alright? You don't sound too good."

"I'm _fit_ to run a marathon! Fit, get it?" Sprint laughed. He shook my hand. His hand was cold, and kinda thin. There were calluses on his palm.

I raised an eyebrow. _Lame jokes, eh? _

"Sprint's always been a bit of a joker. Never really had a sense of what's funny and what's not."

Sprint laughed. "Guilty as charged." Then, he lapsed into another coughing fit.

I leaned back a bit. "Hey, um, if you don't mind my asking, Sprint, umm..."

"What am I sick with?" Sprint sighed. "Dunno. It's nothing that the doctors can identify or cure. Got something to do with my lungs, though. Though you'd never guess by my incredible strength and stamina-" he didn't finish his sentence. He started coughing again.

"So, anyway. Izo told me you joined the crew, Zia." he said. "Marco hasn't been pushing you too hard, has he?"

"Well, so far I've only fallen overboard once." I said brightly.

Sprint laughed. "Well! Marco, you've got yourself a new challenge too! You ever learn how to do that navigating by ear?"

"Shut up, would you?" Marco growled.

I laughed. "Ah, we've already gone over that." I said.

We sat for a while, and joked and laughed, until Marco stood up and tapped me on the shoulder. "Although it's been fun, we should go." he said.

I held my hand out to Sprint. "Nice to meet you." I said.

"Come and visit again, would you?" he said. "You really appreciate comic genius."

"Sure will." I said. _Comic genius? Since when?_

"He's kinda strange." I commented to Marco when we were safely outside. "Of course, strange people can make the best company."

Marco chuckled. "Well, it's good that you have patience, Zia. No wonder you can get along with Thatch."

* * *

(two days later)

Marco sat in his room, at his desk, staring at the mountain of paperwork in front of him. This was the one thing he absolutely hated about being a division commander. How on earth did people like Sprint get it done so fast? Although, Sprint did have a lot of time on his hands to do it.

Marco picked up his pen, dipped it in the small bottle of ink and got to work.

About a half-hour later, there was a knock on his door. "Come in!" he called.

The door opened, and Zia poked her head in. "Marco, can I come in?"

Marco leaned back on his chair. "Sure, why not?" he said.

Zia walked through the door, shut it, then made her way to his bed and sat down. "What are you doing?" she asked, cocking her head so her raspberry coloured hair fell in front of her eyes.

"Paperwork." Marco said, simply.

"Why?" Zia asked.

"Well, it's one of the commander's jobs." Marco explained. "Gives us something to dread every month, anyway."

"Can I help?"

Marco chuckled. He figured the only reason Zia offered was because she wanted to make him feel better. "It's fine, Zia. What have you been up to?"

Zia's face lit up. "Oh! Thatch taught me how to do a coin disappearing trick! Not too interesting when you can't see anything, but doing it's fun!" She frowned at him. "Are you sure you don't want help? I could carry some papers for you or something."

Marco figured he shouldn't mention to her that the five stacks of paper on his desk were higher than Zia was tall.

"Oh, right." he grabbed a piece of paper and placed it on his finished pile. "Can you go and tell Thatch to show you to your room?"

Zia raised an eyebrow. "My room?" she asked. "What do you mean? I can make my way there on my own now, thanks to your instruction."

Marco smiled. "Well, I finally managed to get you a real room to yourself. I figured you shouldn't be put in one of the dorms with the other guys in the division. There aren't any other girls in the crew, so there's no women's dorm."

Zia nodded. "Oh! And Thatch knows where it is?" she asked.

Marco nodded. Then he remembered Zia couldn't see him do that. "Right. Off you go."

Zia jumped off the bed, and made her way to the door. "Have fun with the paperwork, Marco!" she said brightly, before shutting the door.

Marco glanced at the mountain of papers around him again, and sighed.

* * *

I made my way across the deck, just for something to do. It was a fun challenge trying to avoid all the voices and footsteps around me. Of course, I wasn't amazing. More than once, I'd stepped on someone's foot, and had to apologise to an extremely irritated group, who I had walked right into, disrupting their poker game.

Now, I was just strolling around, enjoying the sun.

"Oi! Zia!"

I stopped and turned towards the person who had spoken.

"There you are. Come with me for a moment."

"Izo?" I asked.

"Yup." he said. "You're getting good at this."

"Marco's been drilling me like crazy." I laughed as I followed his footsteps. "Seems to have paid off, though. Now, if only walls and doors made noise that I could avoid them."

I stopped when Izo put his hand on my shoulder. There was a click as a door opened.

"After you." Izo said.

He guided me to a bench, and then walked to the other side of the small room.

"So, what's up?" I asked. Suddenly, Izo wrapped something around my waist. I giggled and squirmed. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Stop squirming." Izo said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm just getting measurements."

"For what?" I asked.

"You need new clothes." Izo said plainly, making more shuffling noises as he moved around, measuring my feet, the length of my legs and arms, and the width of my shoulders. "I can't stand seeing you walking around the ship in those rags."

"My clothes are fine." I said. I didn't care what I looked like. Besides, what's the point of caring what you look like if you're blind?

I heard Izo snort. "You have a rip in your collar, the fabric in the armpit of your shirt is worn, your pants have ripped knees and frayed cuffs, and your shoes are coming apart at the soles. Don't give me that 'my clothes are fine' crap."

I raised my eyebrows. "I thought you helped out in sickbay, Izo." I said.

"I do." Izo said. "But I'm the ship's tailor as well. Now sit still. I'll be about half an hour."

I sat there, swinging my legs and talking to Izo, who was busily sewing, or cutting, or whatever else you do to make clothes.

Finally, Izo came over and handed me a small pile of fabric. "There's a changing room over there." he said. "Go and put that on."

He led me to the changing room and shut the door.

It took me a while, but I managed to get into the clothes Izo made me. It felt like a t-shirt, leggings, and a skirt that reached mid-thigh. I went for the door and nearly tripped over the shoes, well combat boots actually, that Izo had made for me. I slumped down and pulled the boots on over my socks, and after fumbling with the laces for a while, got them tied up.

When I stepped out, Izo chuckled. "Well, that worked out well, if I do say so myself."

"What does it look like?" I asked.

"Well, the shirt is a nice soft shade of leaf green, the skirt is a light, earthy brown, with a nice black belt. The combat boots are black. I don't think light pink is really your colour, despite how many eleven-year-old girls I see on islands with those frilly pink dresses."

I frowned, thinking. "I just don't think a skirt is very practical for fighting."

Izo tapped me on the bridge of the nose with the tip of his finger. "Oi. That skirt is lightweight and strong. The leggings are just as durable as a pair of pants. Now. Go on."

I walked over to the door. "Thanks, Izo!" I said.

"No problem." he said.

* * *

(six months later)

"Enemy ship off the starboard bow!" Someone called from the crow's nest.

I turned my head from my plate of food and cocked my ear to listen.

Marco, Teech, and Thatch stood up.

Marco put his hand on my shoulder. "C'mon. Stay close for this one, okay?"

I nodded. I could feel a sense of excitement rise in my chest. I hadn't been in too many fights over the past six months. I had sparred with Marco, Thatch, Vista, Haruta, and even Jozu, but I had never been in a battle against a rival band of pirates. "Alright! This'll be awesome!"

Marco sighed. "Don't go running out there without thinking, Zia." he said. "Haste is often what gets you killed on the battlefield."

* * *

We ran out of the galley onto the deck, then to the stern where Pops spends most of his time.

"Well, everyone." Pops said. "Why don't we show these people what it means to mess with the Whitebeard pirates."

Everyone around me shouted a battle cry. I joined in with the others.

Marco squeezed my shoulder. "Okay. Remember, if you can't tell where your opponent is-"

"Start making as much noise as I can. It might bounce off them and give me a hint."

Marco clicked his tongue in satisfaction. "Good." he said. "Stay close."

"Who are they?" I asked.

Marco's response didn't reassure me. "We're not sure."

"Well," I said. "Better fight them and find out."

The deck shook as the pirates swarmed aboard. It made such a racket that I nearly got turned around and ran into Jozu.

"How many do you think there are?" Marco asked.

I frowned. "I'd say about thirty." I said.

"You're right." Marco said. "Alright! Let's go!"

The only thing about being charged by a group of bloodthirsty pirates when you're blind is, well, the fact that your ears are your only early warning system, and they get very confused when there's a lot of people around making a noise like a rampaging herd of elephants.

It's an interesting fact that even if you can't see anything, it actually helps your hearing to close your eyes.

I must have looked like a little idiot, standing in a fighting stance next to Marco, with my eyes closed.

There was a whistling sound as something flew through the air towards me.

Immediately, I ducked. I heard wood splinter behind me. "Great." I muttered. "Rifle. Just the perfect opponent for a blind person."

Suddenly, something hard hit me from behind. Pain flared in the back of my skull. There was another smack as I hit the deck. If I could see, stars would have seen red, or stars, or something.

I took a painful breath, then rolled to the left.

Something split the deck right where I'd been before. Without thinking, I kicked out with all the force I could muster. My feet made contact with something kinda squishy.

There was a pained grunt from above me. "You damn brat!" someone growled. "Die!"

I'm not entirely sure what happened next. I heard a whistling sound, Marco shouted my name, and then a small *snap*! Then all my senses went black.

* * *

"Zia!" Marco shouted. She had been knocked away from him from the moment a fighter got to them!

She had been pinned down, and was in serious danger of having her head split open by a large , hairy man with and axe.

He turned on his heel, kicking his opponent in the chest as he went. _Damn! I won't make it in time!_

Suddenly, a chill swept over the deck. Marco shuddered.

The man who had Zia pinned stopped, gazing at her face in horror. His eyes unfocused, and he fell to the deck, a large stab wound in his abdomen.

Zia stood up. Marco could see a kind of reddish haze surrounding her body. Then, it vanished.

Zia darted towards one of the largest of their attackers, and charged him head on.

The man gave a feral growl, and swung his sword at her.

She dodged, barely. Large droplets of blood hit the deck.

Zia either ignored or couldn't feel the large gash on her arm. She bent down, and then sprang up. She raised her bare hand, and made a slashing motion across the pirate's chest.

Marco stepped back in disgust and alarm as a huge slash appeared on the pirate's chest and started gushing blood.

Some of it hit Zia in the face. She licked the blood off her lip. And that's when she turned around.

"Marco..." Thatch said, his voice barely a whisper from fear. "What's up with her eyes?"

Instead of the usual calm sea green, Zia's eyes were a rich, blood red colour.

Marco looked over at Whitebeard, who stood up from his chair. "Pops!" he shouted. "What the hell's going on?!"

"We need to stop her, Marco." he said. "Now!"

Marco looked back to where Zia had been. He couldn't believe he'd been deaf to the screams of the enemy pirates. There weren't any left alive. Zia was standing in the middle of a ring of them, her head bowed, and her loose hair falling over her eyes. Then, she stood up, and lunged towards Thatch.

"Thatch!" Marco shouted. "Hit the deck! Now!"

Thatch obeyed just in time. Zia slashed at him, just barely missing his head. Strands of Thatch's honey-blond hair falling to the deck.

"Zia! Stop!" Marco shouted. That's when it hit him. She couldn't hear a word he was saying. She couldn't tell who she was attacking.

He ducked under one of her slashes, then grabbed her arm, pinning it to the deck. "Jozu! Thatch! Namur! Help me out here!"

The four of them tried to restrain her. Marco gasped.

She was pushing them back! An eleven-year-old shouldn't be able to lift four adults at once. There's just no way.

A wave of energy hit them so hard, Marco was almost blown off. He winced as a cut appeared on his cheek. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on!

Suddenly, the red light faded from Zia's eyes. They returned to their normal, sea green colour, and she went limp.

Marco felt his heart leap into his throat. "Zia!" he shouted. He pressed two of his fingers against her neck, checking for a pulse. For one horrible second, he couldn't feel anything. Then, he felt a faint flutter against his fingertips.

He sighed with relief. "She's alive." He stood up. Everyone else was staring at Zia in dumb disbelief.

"Wh-what on earth was that?" Haruta said, his voice quivering slightly.

"I have no idea..." Marco said.

"She fought like a demon..." Vista said, gazing in horror at the dead around him.

"Who'd've thunk." Thatch muttered.

Marco bent down and picked Zia up. "I'll take her to sickbay." he said.

"You sure that's such a good idea?" Vista piped up. "What if she goes on another rampage?"

"Well," Marco said. "We have to take our chances, don't we?" He looked up at Whitebeard, looking for approval.

Whitebeard nodded. "Right. Marco, I want to talk to you afterwards."

Marco nodded, and started towards sickbay.

He looked down at Zia.

Her features were relaxed, like she was sleeping. Then, she frowned, and groaned something he couldn't understand, and buried her face in the crook of his arm.

How on earth did that happen just now? Or had it just been a trick of his mind? No. It had happened. And it scared him.

He kicked open the door to sickbay and put Zia down on the bed. _I wonder... _he thought. _Does she remember any of that?_

He stepped to the door, and quietly shut it behind him.

* * *

Behind the door to the galley, Marshall D. Teech stared at the aftermath of Zia's rampage.

_Well,_ he thought, a smile creeping across his large face. _Isn't __**this**_ _interesting... _

* * *

Marco stood outside Whitebeard's door. He wondered why he was meeting him there, and not out in the open. He knocked a few times. "It's me!" he called.

"Come in."

Marco opened the door and stepped inside. "So," he said, deciding to get right to the point. "What happened today?"

Whitebeard sighed. "This is going to take a long time to explain. Sit down."

Marco obeyed, sitting at his father's feet. "Well?"

Whitebeard sighed. "I need to begin at the beginning. Do you know of a man called Cassiopeia D. Lore?"

Marco frowned. "No. The name doesn't ring a bell."

Whitebeard chuckled darkly. "I'm not surprised. He was ancient when I was still in diapers." He sighed. "Cassiopeia D. Lore was a scientist. He worked for the marines, like Vegapunk. The only thing is, his focus in research was haki, not devil fruits."

Marco frowned. "Wait... Do you think he's related to Zia?"

Whitebeard nodded. "I thought so at first, now I'm positive. Cassiopeia spent years cooped up in his laboratory, experimenting with haki abilities. His goal was to create an artificial haki. One that anyone could use. You know there are three kinds of haki. Two of which are latent in everyone; but one of which, the king's disposition, is extremely rare. Cassiopeia wanted to create an artificial haki that anyone could use, that would counter the King's Disposition's effects as well as give seemingly endless power. He made many experiments, and finally succeeded in planting the haki... inside the body of his own son."

"What?!" Marco gasped, leaning forward slightly. "He tested this on his own flesh and blood?!"

Whitebeard nodded grimly. "And... it worked. There was just one problem. That much power overloaded his son, Cassiopeia D. Troy's brain. He lost control. He didn't just become extremely powerful. He lost all sense of his own mortality. The more wounded he was, the stronger he got. He also lost any ability to discriminate friend... from foe."

During this conversation, Marco felt like he insides were squirming around. Now, it felt as if the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. "You mean, he went crazy and attacked everyone."

"Yes." Whitebeard said. "The odd thing was, when not under the influence of this artificial haki, Troy was completely normal. A very kind, polite, soft-spoken young man. But whenever placed in an incident that could cause extreme trauma, he lost control completely. People began to call it 'the colour of madness' or just 'berserker haki'."

"So," Marco said, a rising sense of horror starting to take control of him. "What happened to them?"

"Cassiopeia D. Lore was put to death at the age of ninety-four." Whitebeard said. "His son was kept under constant observation. So were his children, and his grand-children. As far as I know, they none of them showed any sign of this artificially created haki. The marines must have relaxed their guard a bit over the past generation, though. Otherwise, the marines would have made a fuss."

"So _that's _why you asked Zia to join the crew!" Marco said. "You wanted to keep an eye on her, just in case."

Whitebeard nodded again. "And now, my worst fears have been confirmed. Zia is a danger not just to herself, but to anyone around her."

"So what do we do?" Marco asked. "I'm not going to just k-"

"Marco." Whitebeard cut him off. "I wasn't suggesting we do anything of the sort. No matter how dangerous she is, Zia is a member of my crew, and more importantly, my family. We'll find some other way. For now, we need to avoid anything that might be traumatizing."

Marco nodded. "I think that spurt of haki was just a test, Pops." he said. "It died away too fast. I think the next time this happens, it will be a lot worse."

Whitebeard nodded.

Marco stood up. "Well, this'll be a shock for the others. Thatch especially."

"Marco." Whitebeard called after him. "If Zia doesn't remember anything that happened during that fight, it's vital that you keep this a secret from her."

"What?" Marco said. "But-"

"If she knows about this, it might increase her chances of losing control again. Do not tell her any of this."

Marco nodded. "Alright."

* * *

Back in his room, Marco flopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had had quite the job of convincing everyone not to tell Zia when she woke up about all this.

He sighed. Why did he have the feeling that this was going to be the hardest thing he ever attempted to do?

**Oooh! Now what'll happen!**

**Sorry if this chapter's a little all over the place. This'll be the last update I'll do for a while. **

**Well, if you feel like it, scroll down to the little white box under the story, and type out a review! It always makes me happy! **

**'Til next time, everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello life s blind readers! I know I said this chapter will be late, but I haven't gotten used to the new time zone yet, so I Couldn't sleep. So, here's the next chapter! **

**I don't own One Piece. If I did... I don't even want to think about it. **

**Thanks for all the favs and reviews! You guys rock! **

Chapter 5

I blinked. I blinked again. The fight! I had been knocked down! I immediately rolled to the left, and, SLAM!

"Ow!" I fell, which was not what I was expecting, and hit the floor!

That's when I started taking notice of things around me. For one thing, ere were no battle cries, no awful smell of blood.

For another, I could smell the nose-clearing scent of rubbing alcohol and that sanitary kind of smell that I had come to asocsiate with sickbay.

There was the sound of clicking footsteps, and someone grabbed me under the armpits and hauled me back up, placing me on a bed, which I must have fallen from. "Zia!" Marco's voice said, his tone both chiding, and slightly worried. "You alright?"

I nodded. "Marco, the fight. What happened?"

Marco didn't answer me for a while. Then, he says, "What do you remember?"

I shrugged. "I was about to get my head chopped in two by an axeman, I think."

Marco went quiet again. "You think it was an axe?" he asked, a hint of something I couldn't enderstand in his voice. I nodded. "Well, the man who attacked you had a club, not an axe."

I frowned. I could have been certain it was an axe. But, Marco was the one who could see. I wasn't about to argue with him. I would rather get bludgeoned than chopped in two."So, he hit me." I summarized, rubbing my forehead with my palm. "And I blacked out and was useless for the rest of the fight."

"That's about it." Marco said. You were lucky I got there in time."

I bit my lower lip in frustration. "This sucks!" I burst out, making Marco jump. I could tell, because the weight on the mattress shifted a great deal, and the springs made a screeching noise. "I... I've trained for something like this for six months, and I'm just dead damned weight on the battlefield!"

Marco bopped me over the head. "Language, Zia." he said. "And you're not dead weight. This was just your first time, and you've got a handicap no one else on that battlefield has."

"Thanks." I muttered through gritted teeth. "I don't have a constant t reminder of that whenever I open my eyes."

Marco sighed, sounding really irritated. I sighed. "Marco... I'm sorry." I managed. "I was just so excited to prove that what you're doing for me isn't all for nothing. I hate feeling this useless..." I sniffed. No. I thought. You can't cry. Not now. Marco put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, it's fine." he said. "We'll keep trying. Sometimes, things just don't go the way you want them to go, and it's hard. We'll just have to push through it, so no more tears, okay."

I nodded and rubbed my eyes with my forearm. "Right. Tomorrow, I'll train like there's no tomorrow."

Marco laughed. "Good to hear!" he said. "But for now, get some rest. You'll need it." He stood up, making the mattress creak and groan again. "Good night." he said.

"Is it night?" I asked, cocking my head to one side. "It's a quarter after eleven." Marco said. I blinked. "Okay. G'night."

I rolled over, and pulled the covers over my head. They smelled like sickbay. I had grown used to their scent over the past six months. Had it really been six months since I had joined the crew? It felt like I'd been here for a few days. But still, I already felt at home with these people. They really were family. Sure, Thatch is a little off his rocker, but I could expect that. It's like having a crazy older brother. I couldn't imagine life without them.

I smiled and snuggled up against my pillow.

Marco sighed as he shut the door to sickbay. It was a beautiful sunny morning. Hey, he hadn't exactly lied to Zia about it being night, she just assumed that he had meant eleven at night. He walked over to Whitebeard's room and knocked on the door. He stepped inside when asked to do so.

"So," Whitebeard asked when Marco shut the door. "Did she remember?"

Marco shook his head. "If she could, she's a damn good actress. She only remembered up to when that man tried to split her head open." Marco frowned.

"What is it, son?" Whitebeard asked.

Marco sighed. He figured he might as well tell Pops. If he couldn't tell him, who could he tell. "This whole act is playing on my nerves." he said, rubbing his face with his hands. "I feel guilty lying to her like this. She's not stupid, Pops. She'll figure out something's up before long. She remembered the part leading up to when she went berserk with quite a bit of detail. She could tell what weapon her opponent used. I managed to convince her it was a club, but it took me a while." He tried not to flush with pride for his student's accomplishment when he explained this.

"We'll have to keep up the facade, Marco." Whitebeard said, scratching to back of his head. "I can't emphasize enough how important this is."

Marco nodded. He knew. He knew he was doing this for Zia's own good as well as the good of the crew, but he could still feel the weight on his shoulders of a guilt that threatened to know at him. Living a lie was not going to be easy.

(four months later) "You're what?!" I yelped, slamming my hands down on Sprint's mattress so hard it squeaked loudly.

"You heard me." Sprint said. "Doctor says I'm finally dying. It's going to be a slow process, but-" his sentence was cut short by another one of his violent coughing fits. He turned away, and I could tell by the fact that his coughs were slightly muffled that he was covering his mouth with his arm. Finally, he stopped. "It's fine." he said. "I knew for years that this disease would kill me one day." He stopped to catch his breath.

It was no secret to anyone that Sprint had gotten worse. He had been coughing a lot more in recent months, and according to Izo, he was losing weight rapidly, despite his hollow leg appetite.

I felt a lump rise in my throat. "But... You can't just die, Sprint. You- you still have so much to live for! I mean-" My sentence was cut short by a sob. I felt tears sting the corners of my eyes. It didn't take much for me to start crying freely.

Sprint ruffled my hair. "Hey," he said, concern in his voice. "Look at me." I couldn't see him, but I still looked up in his direction.

Sprint sighed. "I'm not dead yet. And I'm not scared at all, either. So don't cry, alright?" He stopped and took a few very long breaths.

I swallowed hard. "Why aren't you scared?" I asked. "You're dying! It means you're never coming back!"

Sprint was silent for a moment. "You ever heard of reencarnation, Zia?" he asked. I shook my head, sniffing and wiping my eyes with my forearm. "Well," Sprint said. "It's when-" He broke down coughing again, this time, a little longer and more violently than before. When he finally calmed down, he said, "Basically, it's when you die, your soul is transferred to a new body. Who knows, maybe I'll return as a... I dunno, a neptunian or something." I snorted.

"A neptunian?" I said, chuckling through my tears.

Sprint must have noticed this, because he went on. "Or maybe a duck-billed platopus! Or a bear. I like bears."

"I think you'd be a wymerainer." I said.

This time, it was Sprit's turn to laugh. Of course, it quickly turned into another coughing fit. "Right, that'll happen." He said. "I think you're finally picking something up from the king of comedy." He was silent for a second. "I still feel fit to run a marathon." he said.

I smiled. "Sprint," I asked, finally getting control of my voice. "Why doesn't death scare you? Is it because you think you'll come back?"

"Well, it's partly that, I suppose." he said. "But I think it's just the fact that I've known for so long now, I've gotten used to the idea of dying. I mean, when you're a pirate,every day you live might be your last. My death'll just come in a different way than others. So no, I'm not scared at all."

I swallowed again. "Right." I said. "Then if you're not scared, I won't cry anymore." I'm pretty sure Sprint smiled at me for that. "Good to hear."

(One year later)

"So, what happened after that, Thatch?" I asked, shoving a large piece of meat In my mouth. "Did you beat him?"

Thatch, who was standing right by the galley kitchen window, cooking up a delicious-smelling stir fry, laughed. "I didn't even have to!" he laughed. "The guy took on look at my buff abs, and the mark on my back, he just hi-tailed it out of there!" Teech, Haruta, and Blenheim burst out laughing at this.

I, on the other hand, frowned. "Mark on your back?" I asked. "What mark?"

The guys went quiet. "You don't know?" Teech said, sounding alarmed. "You've been on the crew for over a year and you don't know about the mark?"

I shook my head. "What is it?" "Well, it's the Whitebeard pirates' Jolly Roger." Teech explained. "Everyone on the crew gets one."

"Obviously not everyone." I said. ."How come Marco never told me about it?"

Thatch placed another plate of food in front of me. "You should ask him." he said.

I nodded, jumping off my stool. "I think I'll do that."

"Hey, Marco?" Marco turned around to see Zia coming towards him. She tripped over a piece of rope, then steadied herself, and finally stopped when she was by his side. "What's up, kid?" Marco asked.

Zia immediately frowned. She pouted slightly. "I'm not a kid." she grumbled. "I'm a Whitebeard pirate."

Marco laughed. "In my book, twelve years old s still a kid." He almost doubled over laughing when Zia gave him the stink eye. "Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Zia asked, frowning.

Marco felt his heart leap into his throat. "About what?" he asked. How on earth had she figured it out?

"I mean, why not tell me about the mark everyone gets on their backs?"

Marco stopped. Mark? She was talking about the tattoo? "Must have slipped my mind." he said, trying to keep the relief in his voice to a minimum.

"say, how come I've never gotten it done?"

Marco felt like the deck had been pulled out from under him. "No!" he snapped. "Absolutely not!"

Zia stepped back a bit, looking alarmed.

"You're just a kid! You can't go running around getting a big honking tattoo on your back!"

"But I-"

"The answer is no, Zia." he said with finality.

Zia frowned. "Fine." she said. "Sorry to bug you, Marco." With that, she strode away.

Marco turned and stared at the ocean, wondering if he should feel annoyance at the thought of Zia getting a tattoo, or relief that she hadn't found out about the berserker haki.

"Zia, are you sure about this?" Haruta asked for the umpteenth time that half-hour.

I frowned at him. "For the last time, I'm sure. It's stupid that you guys get the mark on your back and I don't. Just get it over with."

Haruta sighed. I heard him mutter something about Marco tearing his throat out if he found out. "Now." he said. "This is going to hurt, so I don't want you screaming bloody murder, okay?"

"Jeez, Haruta." I said. "How old do you think I am? Five?"

Haruta sighed in annoyance again before sticking the cold needle into my back.

Thatch smirked as he dried the last of his cookware. Had Zia gone through with it yet? He had told her to just do it, when she told him that Marco had said no. "Mother hen." he chuckled under his breath. Of course, he would never say that to Marco's face. He knew better than most how cranky Marco could get. Thatch looked up when he heard the galley door open. "Hey, Zia!" he said brightly. "How did it go?"

"Not bad." She sat down at her usual place.

"Well?" Thatch asked.

Zia held up her shirt just a bit.

Thatch just caught sight of the bottom of the Jolly Roger. "Nice." he said. "Here, are you hungry? I'll whip something up for you."

"Hey Zia." I turned my head towards the person who had spoken. "Oh, hey Marco." I said, turning back to my food and shoving my fork in my mouth.

Marco was silent for a second. "Say, if you're up for it, how about a sparring match once you're done? You should keep your skills sharp."

I nodded. "Sure." I said, not turning my head this time.

Marco patted me on the back. "Right. See you out on deck."

Involuntarily, I winced.

Marco stopped and turned. I could sense an aura I'd come to associate with demons and other flesh-eating creatures emanating from my division commander. Uh-oh. I think the sh*t's about to hit the fan.

"I told you not to, didn't I!?" Marco roared at me. "But what do you do? You just go through with it anyway! What do I have to do to make you understand that you're too young for that kind of thing!?"

I just stood there, hanging my head. I didn't say anything. I knew the drill. It was the same way with my parents whenever this happened. All these questions they asked were not meant to be answered. If I tried to get a word in, the rant would just go in longer.

Marco was ranting like I'd never heard him do before. Thatch could cause him to shout pretty loud, but I don't even think he could have caused an uproar like this.

"Do you get it?" Marco asked.

Oops. I'd gotten wrapped up in my own thoughts. Better do the safe thing and nod.

Marco sighed in irritation. "I'll have to have a word with Haruta about this..." he growled. Do birds growl? I guess there's a first time for everything.

Jeez, that was torture. It had taken Marco a good half-hour to finish venting at me. Now, I wasn't the only one trying to stay out of his way. Geez, who knew that Marco could be so freaking intimidating?

"Hello Zia."

I nearly jumped out of my skin! I straightened and turned. "Oh! Pops, you startled me!"

Pops chuckled. "I suppose after the chewing out you just got, your nerves would be a little on edge."

I blushed. "You know about that?"

Then Pops really did laugh. "I'm pretty sure the whole ship heard you!" he boomed. "I've never heard Marco shout so loud for such a lengthy period of time!" Then his tone became more serious. "You do know why he's so mad, right Zia?"

"Because I disobeyed a direct order and got your mark tattooed on my back."

Pops sighed. "It's not really that, Zia." he said. "That was a tricky question, so I'm not very surprised you didn't get it."

"What is it, then?" I asked.

"This might take a while to explain." Pops said. "Come and sit." I walked over to Pops. Of course, Pops is pretty quiet, so I ran into his huge foot, and whacked my nose against his shin. I backed up, holding my nose, then sat down at his feet.

"Marco wasn't angry because you got the tattoo. Fundamentally, it's more the fact that you didn't stop to think before you got it. You're still young, so it's hard to control your impulses. Not to mention the fact that you seem like the rebellious type."

I frowned. "I hate it when you guys treat me like a kid." I grumbled. "I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm getting into. And the fact remains that I'm a pirate, and I can make my own decisions when it comes to that kind of thing."

Pops chuckled again. "I think that you and Marco have something to learn from all of this. You need to learn about the balance of power and the importance of listening," He cut off my response. "And Marco could do well to remember that you're not made of glass. You can do things yourself and, well, you're slightly more mature than the average twelve-year-old."

I bit my lower lip. "I just don't understand why Marco does this." I said. "I mean, he's my division commander and all, but he still treats me like I'm a lot younger than I am."

"You're not listening, Zia." Pops chided. "Marco does have a reason, though. He's been looking after you ever since he found you over a year ago. He's seen you at your weakest, and he feels responsible for you. I think he's just playing the overprotective big brother role."

I nodded. "Okay. I think I get it now... Sort of." Pops chuckled. "You'll understand when you're a little older." he said. "Although I'm sure you're sick of hearing that by now. Gurararararara!"

I looked up at him. "You know, Pops, I didn't say sorry." I said.

"And why not?" he asked.

"Because I'm proud to have your jolly roger on my back." I said.

Pops chuckled again. "how is it now?" He asked.

i paused for a second. "Actually, it hurts like hell."

There was another short pause. Then we both laughed.

I strolled down the deck, trying to think of what Pops had said to me. Deep down, I knew he was right. I mean, how can someone who's twelve argue about understanding coming with age with someone who's probably in his late sixties?

I stopped at the very end of the deck and sat down next to a small marker. I felt around to be sure I was in the right place. I finally found the small wooden marker and ran my fingers along it. I smiled.

"I'm pretty sure you're laughing like crazy right now, Sprint." I said. "Wherever you are."

**This chapter was more of a filler. It was more focused on how Zia got her tattoo, as you could probably tell. **

**Marco always struck me as the overprotective big brother type. I don't know why. Maybe I read too much fanfiction. Of course I don't. **

**Anywho, please review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Here's chapter 6 of... Life is Blind!**

***clears throat* Sorry 'bout that. Okay, anyway, this chapter is kind of like a small hint at what is to come. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions at the end of the chapter, but this new arc is completely non-canon, so I hope you enjoy! **

**Also, a big thank-you to Shiningheart of Thunderclan, Trich, 4fireking, and Coco-san for reviewing. In future chapters, I'll be doing a shout out! **

**Right. I don't own One Picode or any of the characters. Only the OC that I thought up myself. **

Chapter 6

"OI! Pops! Enemy ship off the starboard bow!"  
I blinked. "Again?" I turned to Pops. "So, what do we do, Pops?"  
Pops didn't answer for a second. Then, he said, "Marco, go and ask who's ship it is. I'll pass judgement as to Zia's question then."  
There was a creaking sound as Marco got up and left the small area at the stern where Pops has that huge chair of his. We weren't kept waiting long. Marco came running back, his breathing heavy from something other than flying there and back again.  
"Pops..." Marco said, his tone indescribable to me at the time. "It's Red-Haired Shanks."

"So, Red-Haired Shanks is one of the Yonkou, right?" I asked Marco a few minutes later. We were standing on deck, in two rows. I felt like this was a marine ceremony where the seven warlords of the sea walk into Marejoa.  
Marco didn't answer.  
I lightly kicked his shin. "Marco?"  
"What? Oh, yeah. He is." Marco said. He sounded really annoyed.  
"What's up?" I asked.  
"Let's just say we don't have good relations with other Yonkou." he said. "Oh, and Zia? I think you should go below deck."  
"Why?" I asked.  
"Just do it." Marco said, his tone a little more serious.  
"I think it's perfectly safe to be out here." I said. "Isn't he coming down alone?"  
Suddenly, I staggered. It felt like something had landed on my chest. Hard. Something flashed behind my eyes, and everything went dark.

* * *

I groaned and opened my eyes. What the hell just happened?  
"Zia!"  
Marco took my shoulders and lifted me into a sitting position. "You see what I mean?" he said. "You don't listen, and this kind of stuff happens."  
"You're still mad about the tattoo thing, aren't you?" I said.  
Marco sighed. "No. I'm not still mad about the tattoo thing. I'm just saying, listen to me when I tell you something is dangerous."  
I twisted my mouth in a little frown. "Okay. Fine. But what did Red-Haired want?"  
Marco didn't say anything. Man, that's getting annoying. Finally, he said, "I'm not sure. But I want you to stay on high alert, okay?"  
I nodded. "Okay, sure."  
I started wandering around, just for something to do. So, to give my mind a workout, I thought about the thing that had knocked me out. What if it was Red-Haired who did that? Was it some kind of weird power, or was it some terminal disease that I have? That's a pleasant thought.  
"Hey, is something wrong?"  
I turned around, confused; because the voice was unfamiliar to me. I knew every voice on this ship by now. And I didn't know this one. "Who are you?" I asked. "I don't think we've spoken before."  
The guy laughed. "It's common courtesy to give your own name first."  
I sighed. Even if he was annoying, he had a point. I held out my left hand. "Cassiopeia D. Zia." I said.  
For some reason, the guy took my hand with his right hand, and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Shanks."  
I stepped back, tripped over a piece of rope, and fell on my butt. Great. What was it Marco said about staying on high alert, and here I was shaking the guy's hand! "Ummm..." I said. "Right. What do you want?"  
I heard Shanks chuckle lightly. "I'm just heading back to my ship, but you were wandering around aimlessly, so I thought I'd see what's wrong."  
I frowned. "Thanks. But I don't need any help."  
Shanks sighed. "Right."  
"Say," I said. "What was that thing you did when you came aboard? I passed out."  
Shanks was quiet for a second. "You passed out?"  
I nodded.  
"I'm sorry. I always have problem keeping my Haki in check when I'm on a strange ship.  
"Hey," I said. "What's the deal with you? I can't figure out where you are, or at least, some of you."  
"Oh! You use something akin to echolocation. You should learn observation haki. It could really help you. Especially since, you know, you're blind."  
I nodded.  
"We'll, I've only got one arm."  
"Oh." I definitely wasn't expecting that. I figured a strong guy like him wouldn't just lose an arm in a regular fight.  
Shanks chuckled. "Thank you for your concern, though. That makes for a nice opponent."  
"Zia!" Marco shouted. "Come here!"  
Oops. Great. I was gonna get an earful now. And then I did something I really shouldn't have done. I turned to Shanks, and said, "Nice to meet you!" Before I turned and jogged up to Marco's side.  
"Do you have wax in your ears?!" Marco snapped as he whacked me over the head.  
Thatch must have been standing nearby, because he started guffawing."  
Why does life hate me so much? It wasn't my fault!

* * *

"Hey, Marco, what's haki?" I asked.  
"Hmm?" Marco said, still sounding a little annoyed. "Well, haki is an inborn, often latent power that everyone posesses." He sounded a little nervous when he said that. "why do you ask?"  
"Because Red-Haired Shanks-" I cringed at the sound Marco made in his throat. "Red-haired told me I should learn observation haki. I didn't even know what that was, so I thought I'd ask you."  
Marco sighed. Well, it was a little more like a growl than a sigh. "I still can't believe you did that." he said.  
I frowned. "I tried to tell you, I didn't do it on purpose. I just sort of... ran into him."  
"Right." Marco said. "Well, I do see Red-Hair's logic." He opened a door, and stood there silently.  
"What do you want me to do in the galley?" I asked.  
"I need to speak to Pops about something." he said. "Just stay here until I get back. Thatch'll keep an eye on you."  
I raised an eyebrow. "Of course, Thatch might just put more funny ideas in my head."  
Marco sighed. "See you in a few minutes, Zia."

* * *

"So," Whitebeard said. "Zia wants to know about haki."  
Marco nodded. "If I tell her-"  
"I think you should do it."  
Marco stared at his Whitebeard, wide-eyed. "You really think I-"  
"Yes, Marco." Whitebeard said. "Haki might be the best thing for Zia to learn. Besides, if you could teach her armour haki as well as observation haki. Then she could have a better way of attacking and defending herself."  
"Pops, I thought you said-"  
"She still needs to learn to fight, Marco." Whitebeard cut him off. "We can't just protect her and assume she'll never come to harm when with us."  
"But-"  
"She's not made of glass, Marco. You need to trust her a little more. Even if she does have a habit of... Running into dangerous situations."  
Marco sighed. "I never said she was made of glass."  
Whitebeard smiled. "Then teach her something you really know. Haki is one of your specialties after all."  
Marco put his head in his hands. Why was it so damn tough to train a member if his division, keep the secret acout the berserker haki, and be a good big brother at the same time? "All right." he said. "I'll do it."

* * *

"So, haki is- Zia, are you paying attention?"  
I nodded. "Yes I am. Haki is...?"  
Marco sighed in irritation. I couldn't figure out why he was like this. "Haki is a latent, inborn power that all have, but few manage to unlock. There are... three types of haki that we know of." Marco continued. "The first two I'll definitely teach you. The third, well, we'll have to wait and see. First is observation haki. It allows you to see an opponent's moves and avoid them. I'm hoping you can use this to your advantage, and learn to navigate by using observation haki as well as your hearing. Give your ears a rest. The second is called armour haki. It's a haki that allows you to strengthen your attacks, defences, and many other things. It also has the added effect of giving you the ability to hit devil fruit users."  
My eyes widened. "So if I used this power, I could hit you and you wouldn't regenerate?!"  
"Yup. So you need to be careful with this power."  
I was really starting to like the idea of this haki stuff. "And the third?" I asked.  
"Ah. Now that's the rare one. The haki of the supreme king. Or king's disposition. Whichever you prefer. This is a haki that allows you to overwhelm your opponent. In a sense, it's what Red-Hair used th other day." I could tell he shot me a pointed look when he said that.  
I thought for a second. Then I remembered something. Something that happened almost two years before. "Wait a minute..." I said. "You can use it too! You used it on me when you fished me out of the ocean!"  
Marco chuckled nervously. "We'll whaddaya know. You're right, of course. Sorry about that, but you really didn't leave me much choice."  
I smiled. "That is so cool! But, you can't teach me, because I might not have it."  
"That's about it." Marco said.  
"We'll, this looks like fun!" Thatch's voice said from behind me. "Mind if I join the party?"  
Marco chuckled. "Not at all, Thatch." he said. "Your haki is fairly strong as well, so any help is appreciated."  
Thatch ruffled my hair. "Hey, get ready, Zia. You're about to experience training unlike any you've ever had before!"  
"I get the feeling this is going to be even more hectic than usual." I said. "But! I can't wait! Lets go, guys!"

* * *

(Five months later)  
"Alright, I thing that's enough for today." Marco said, stretching out a bit. "So Zia, how do you feel?"  
"Way better than before!" I said. "I can sense things I could never have dreamed! This is better than being able to see again!"  
I felt a very elated wave of energy come from Thatch. "Alright! What am I doing?" He shoved his pinkie in his nose.  
"Really, Thatch?" Marco groaned, rubbing his temples.  
I laughed.  
"So, Zia," Thatch said, pulling his finger from his nostril. "What are you gonna do now?"  
I thought for a second. "Oh! I gotta tell Pops how it went!" I ran up to Marco and threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Then I did the same to Thatch. "Thanks, guys!" Then I took off.  
It really did feel awesome to know where I was going, and now, I didn't run into walls! I love this haki stuff!  
I rocketed past a small group on my way to the stern.  
"Hey Zia!" One of them called. "Haki training going well?"  
"Yeah, it sure is, Namur!" I called over my shoulder. "Sorry, I can't stop!"  
"Pops!" I shouted.  
Pops looked up from his newspaper, and chuckled. "Zia! I see training went well. Have you finally masters observation haki?"  
I nodded. "Yeah! And look at this!" I concentrated, and I felt a cold feeling spread over my hand and forearm. Then, I lunged forward and punched a hole though one of the crates we always had stacked up."  
"We'll!" Pops said. "Even your colour of arms haki is coming along well! I must say, you're a very quick learner, Zia."  
I blushed. "Say, what are you reading, Pops?" I asked.  
Pops held out his hand and helped me climb onto his knee. He held out his newspaper. "This is an interesting article. 'Firefist Ace' has been causing trouble in Paradise again."  
I knew by that point that Paradise was what everyone called the first half of the grand line.  
"Who's Firefist Ace?" I asked.  
"He's a rookie who's really been making a name for himself lately." Pops said."He just turned down an offer to become on of the seven warlords, I believe."  
"How old is he, anyway?" I asked.  
Pops paused in thought. "Oh, about sixteen, seventeen. Seventeen is more likely. I wonder what the hurry is...looks like a strong lad."  
I frowned and stuck out my lower lip. "He'll never be stronger than you, Pops." I said.  
Pops chuckled lightly. "Some say the world will end in fire. Some say ice. Perhaps this young man is one of those that the world government wants on their side for that reason."  
I bit my lower lip. Details flooded through my mind. Rattling, a huge white flash, a loud bang, screams, terrible, searing pain. "I hate fire." I said.  
Pops ruffled my hair. "I understand, Zia. But don't judge someone by their element alone."

'That's just it." I thought. 'You don't understand. All you can do is try to.'

"Oh well." Pops said, folding his newspaper. "Zia, run and tell Marco to give the order to set sail east."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why east? I asked. "Where are we going?"

I could hear the smile in Pops' voice. "Just go and tell Marco to give the orders. Set sail to fishman island."

**_Yay! Zia can finally fight well! Well, you'll see more action in the next chapter and how she fights! _**

**_Well, see you next chapter! _**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! I really enjoyed writing this chapter! So, lets get right to it. I don't own one piece or any of the characters. **

Chapter 7

"Moby's getting what?" I asked.  
"Do you not know what coating is?" Thatch asked. "That's a little worrying that you live in the New World but don't know about coating."  
I frowned. "Yeah. But I've never been to paradise before. I've always wanted to visit the Sabaody Archipelago."  
"Well," Marco said, stepping up and ruffled my hair. "We won't be travelling that far this time. Just to fishman island. We haven't been there for a while, so Pops thought we should... check things out just to see if all is well."  
"Isn't that Pops' territory?" I asked, slightly distracted. My attention was mainly focused on the men doing the coating. They were moving like army ants, swarming around, placing whatever the coating was all over the Moby.  
"What else are we doing there?" I asked suddenly.  
Thatch caught me in a headlock. "I'll tell you what." he said. "We're picking up new crew members, too!"  
"For what position?" I had a sneaking suspicion, but I wanted confirmation from Thatch before I jumped to conclusions.  
"Nurses." Thatch said. "They'll help out in sickbay, and look after Pops' health."  
"Is Pops sick?" I asked, slightly worried.  
"No, but I'm getting old, Zia." Pops stepped up beside me, making the ground under my feet tremble. Now that I could use haki, I could finally appreciate how huge and terrifying Pops really was. "I don't like the idea of bringing innocent women into dangerous waters like the New World, but they all signed up of their own free will."  
I decided not to mention that he had asked me to join his crew at eleven. "Hey, at means there will actually be some women on the crew."  
I inclined my head so I was looking Pops in the face. "Is that it?"  
Pops shook his head. "I have a different job for you while we're there, Zia. There's someone you should meet. Marco, Thatch, you'll come too."  
"Who?" I asked.  
Pops patted my head. "You'll see."

* * *

It took over a week for the coating to be finished. Marco knew better an anyone at coating a ship was a very delicate job, that shouldn't be rushed. When they stepped on deck again, Zia started bouncing up and down on the thick coating.  
"Whee!" she laughed as she flopped on her back. "It's like jelly!"  
Marco sat down next to her. "You really are a kid." he chuckled.  
"Am not." Zia said, sticking her tongue out at him.  
Marco smirked and poked her in the stomach. "Yeah, you are, yoi."  
Zia snorted and turned towards him. "Am not."  
"Are too."  
"You two are both behaving like kids." Thatch said, laughing.  
"Shut up, Thatch." they both said at the same time.  
"All right, men!" Whitebeard shouted. "Remove the buoyancy pouch!"  
Zia frowned. "What does that mean?" she asked. Then, she gasped.  
The coating started to rise, inflating like a balloon.  
Marco laughed whole-heartedly at Zia's expression. She looked pretty startled, especially when the coating passed over her mouth and nose.  
"What's wrong?" he asked her. "Never been on a coated ship before?"  
She shook her head. "Now what happens?" she asked.  
"Now," Marco said, smirking slightly. "We sink."  
"Sink?" Zia said, slightly alarmed.  
With that, the Moby Dick started sinking beneath the waves.

* * *

"Urrrgh..." I groaned. "Way to go, Pops. You managed to find a really nauseating way to travel..."  
Pops laughed. "My, Zia." he said. "Don't tell me you're seasick?"  
"This is nothing like riding a ship in the normal way..." I said. "This is awful. I feel like I'm gonna throw up."  
"Hey, Zia!" Thatch called, waving from the port side. "Come and check out these sea monsters, they're really cool!"  
"Go away, Thatch..." I groaned, pulling my knees into my chest and burying my face in my knees.  
Thatch turned and walked over, then sat down next to me. He leisurely put his arm over my shoulder. "Hey now." he said. "I was a bit like this the first time I was on a coated ship. I know you feel like crap now, but the feeling'll pass, just like th voyage. The next time we come through here, you'll be leaning over the rail so far you'll nearly fall overboard. It's really amazing."  
"Thanks, Thatch." I groaned. "But the only thing I want to do now is get to fishman island and do whatever we have to do."

* * *

"Here we are!" Thatch said happily, clapping Zia on the shoulder with one of his hands, and gesturing around him with the other so she'd get the hint even better.  
She didn't seem to appreciate that, though. She gave him a very strange look, then said, "That's really great, Thatch, but I don't think I like the-"  
Suddenly, her eyes dilated until they were almost black, and she clapped her hand over her mouth.  
Thatch knew that look all too well. He let go of her shoulder, and she raced off behind some coral.  
"Hasn't found her undersea legs yet?" Marco asked, stepping up beside him.  
Thatch smiled and shrugged. "Pretty damn funny, though."  
"Maybe it was because she was with you, yoi." Marco teased.  
Thatch turned to his old friend. "Oi." he said. "That was cruel."  
Marco just chuckled lightly.

* * *

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "This place really is awesome!" I ran on ahead and stopped at a large rock, and 'stared' out at everything crawling all over it. "Hey, Pops, look!" I pried a huge transponder snail off the rock. "I didn't know they were wild animals! I always thought they were just really big snails people caught and placed a communicating device in!"  
Pops bent down and took the snail from my hand. "Not only that, it's a white transponder snail. They're very rare snails that prevent wiretapping. This is a very good find, Zia."  
I grinned with pride.  
"Yeesh." Thatch said, coming up and staring at the snail. "That is one big snail. You think it ate a devil fruit?"  
I laughed.  
"You do find very strange animals in the forest of the sea." Marco said, coming up behind us.  
"Is that where we're going?" I asked.  
Pops nodded. "There's someone there we're going to see."  
"Who?" I asked.  
"You'll see." Marco said.  
I whipped around to face him. "Does that mean, I'm the only one in the dark as to who it is?!"  
"Yup."  
I hung my head. "Thanks a bunch, guys."

* * *

We walked for another hour, at least. I have to say, if I ever regretted being unable to see, it was then. We were walking in a kind of bubble, which protected us from the pressure and the water. Swimming outside the bubble were a lot of strange fish I would never have thought existed. I couldn't be sure, but according to Marco, there was a completely natural light shining down here that came from the roots of a tree!  
But it was the forest that really amazed me. Trees were growing under the sea! There were lots of different corals, too!  
There was also someone there. He was sitting on a boulder, meditating. Or, at least I thought he was meditating, because he wasn't moving at all. And he definitely wasn't a statue.  
"Jimbei!" Pops called. "Good to see you again!"  
The huge guy opened an eye, and smiled. "Ah! Whitebeard! And commanders Marco and Thatch! It has been some time. Ah. It seems there's a new face among you, too." He sat down and bowed a bit. "What might your name be, young one?"  
But I was slightly distracted by him. He was bigger than Thatch, and quite a bit wider. He had a luge tusk on either side of his mouth. And were those gills on his neck?  
"Umm, what are you?" I asked. "A fishman? Can you breathe underwater?"  
The guy chuckled, not offended by my questions. "Yes, I am, and yes, I can. My name is Jimbei."  
"That is so cool!" I said. " I'm Zia. I've only met one fishman in my life. And you're a lot different from Namur."  
Jimbei smiled. "You'll find that fishmen are very, very different one from the other. Not like humans, who have a similar structure."  
"Wow." I said.  
"Jimbei." Pops said. "Zia has been a member of my family for a while now, and I would like her to face a new challenge, if you're willing."  
I turned to Pops. "You mean you want me to fight a fishman?!" I said, trying, and failing miserably, to contain my excitement.  
Pops nodded. "It's been a while since you were in a fight. I can't truly gauge your skills when you spar Marco or Thatch, because I know they'll go easy on you, or be too hard on you. So, I want you to battle a complete stranger, and see how you fare."  
"Pops." I said. "I'm not fighting a complete stranger. We know each others names, right?"  
I thought they smiled at that.  
"Hey, Jimbei!" Thatch called. "You're not offended that Pops asked a warlord of the sea like you to fight a kid, are you?"  
I whipped around to face Jimbei again. "You're a warlord!?" I said. I smirked. "This'll be so awesome!"  
Jimbei sighed. "I have no problem with it." he stated plainly.  
We found a nice, open area where the fight could begin. I stood on one end of the field, Jimbei stood on the other. Pops, Marco and Thatch stood on the sidelines, talking quietly amongst themselves.  
"Hey!" I called to Jimbei. "I've got to show Pops what I can do, so don't go easy on me, okay?" I leaned back slightly and cracked my knuckles, just for effect.  
Jimbei nodded. "It would dishonour me if I did." he said. "Come at me with everything you have."  
I charged. Focussing on my right leg, I leapt into the air. I pulled into a ball and did a rapid spin, gaining momentum. I felt a cool feeling pass through my leg. Perfect. Colour of arms haki was working so far. I pulled out of the spin at the last second and, using the momentum gained from my spin, drove my heel down in an axe kick.  
I felt the smack of the impact of my leg with Jimbei's block. A wave of air passed outward, tousling my hair.  
"My," Jimbei said. "Haki at your age? Very impressive, young one."  
"I'm just getting started." I grinned.

* * *

One, two, three, four, five hours passed, and Jimbei and Zia were still fighting like crazy. Neither of them really gaining the upper hand, they switched from offence to defence almost too fast for the untrained eye to see.  
Zia ducked under one of Jimbei's punches, but was suddenly hit by a wave of energy, and she flew backward. For a moment, it looked like Jimbei had won. Then, Zia curled into a ball again, stretching out just at the right time, so her feet were pointing in the direction she was going. She slammed into an old shipwreck, and the wooden beams of the hull splintered and snapped. Whitebeard watched in silence. Unlike his two sons, who were gasping, or shouting something at every chance they could get. He watched the cloud of dust and rubble that had formed around his daughter intently. If she had made even the slightest miscalculation, the fight would be over.  
Finally, the cloud started to clear. The crunching of footsteps was heard before anything was shown, though. Zia stepped out of the wreckage, wiping a bit of blood from the side of her lip. The skin on her shins and feet was turning from a shiny black, back to normal.  
'So,' Whitebeard thought. 'She caught herself with haki. Good.'  
Zia stood a few feet away from Jimbei, and smirked. "Not bad." She cracked her neck from side to side. "Can't say I wouldn't have been scrambled if I hadn't caught myself."  
Without realizing it, Whitebeard sighed. This girl really was like Troy. Kind, and a courteous adversary, but powerful too. And, an untamable monster. He sighed.  
'Hey, Newgate. If you meet one of us one day, will you keep an eye on them? That kid will be in for the ride of their life. They need someone to look after them.'  
'Well, Troy,' he thought. 'I hope you can see her now.'  
Zia took a careful step forward, then quickly sidestepped, and lunged forward with her left hand out to block, and her right hand pulled back, ready to punch. Her entire right arm was completely black. She was going for the finishing blow.  
Jimbei looked like he was doing pretty much the same thing. He lunged forward, and punched.  
Their fists clashed together another wave of energy made the air ripple around them.  
Zia staggered backward, clutching her arm. "Damn." She muttered. "This is getting nowhere." She gritted her teeth. "Oh! That's it!" She dashed forward, and said, "Geppo." She kicked off the ground and started kicking against the air, propelling herself even further.  
"Marco," Whitebeard said, raising an eyebrow at his son. "What have you been teaching her besides haki?"  
Marco put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. She can use Geppo, but that's it, and only for a little while."  
Whitebeard nodded slowly. "And she already knows how to use it to her advantage." He said as Zia delivered a hard airborn kick, which Jimbei blocked.  
"She's a prodigy, I tell you, Pops." Thatch piped up. "She such a quick learner now." He smiled. "Who'dve thunk."  
That would be enough. Whitebeard raised his hand.  
They both stopped fighting at once.  
"Thank you, Jimbei." he said.  
Jimbei stood up straight and smoothed out his tunic. "It's a pleasure, Whitebeard. And, Zia was a good opponent." He bowed formally to the small girl.  
She grinned hugely, then bowed too. "That was a fun fight~" She fell forward and crashed to the ground.  
Marco quickly ran to her side and picked her up, making sure her head rested against his bicep. "Geez, he muttered." she went a little too far."  
Whitebeard nodded slightly. "Jimbei!" he said. "We must be off now. Best of fortune to you until we meet again."

* * *

Marco and Thatch trailed behind Whitebeard, heading back to the port to meet up with the others.  
Marco had to run extra carefully, because he was still carrying the unconscious Zia. Every now and then, she would let out a small puff of breath, and relax even further.  
"Hey, Pops," Marco said, looking up at his father. "What was the point of that, anyway?"  
Whitebeard didn't turn around to look at him, and didn't answer for a while. Finally, he spoke. "I was trying to justify a decision."  
Marco looked at Thatch, who shrugged.  
Who knew what went on inside their father's head?

* * *

Ugh, what was that shuffling noise?  
I sat up and blinked. "Whaddaya know," I said. "I'm back in sickbay." I wasn't covered head to toe in bandages, so I thought that was a good sign.  
Someone I didn't know stepped up to my bedside. "Ah." she said. "You're awake. And you're Zia, right?"  
I nodded.  
The lady was tall, and slender, with... well, Thatch would say 'nice curves'. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail. She chuckled slightly. "Izo tells me you're a regular here. My name is Cynthia."  
I grinned. "Nice to meet you!" I said. "You're one of the new nurses, right?"  
Cynthia nodded. "I'm one of ten. I'm on duty in sickbay with Angela, Mariam, Flossy, and June for now. The other five are tending to Whitebeard.  
I frowned. "Is Pops all right?"  
Cynthia smiled. "I'm just kidding. The other five are helping your dear commanders install a women's bathroom and dorm."  
I nodded. I could see the sense in that. I mean, with me, I had my own room, which was really no bigger than a broom closet, and I used the bath at a certain time of night when none of the guys could come in. Now, there was reason for that.  
"Hey, Cynthia," I asked. "I don't have to stay here, do I?"  
She shook her head. "You can go now, if you'd like."  
I stepped out of bed and ran to the galley to talk to Thatch and Teech.

* * *

I was sitting in the galley, a huge cherry pie in front of me, talking and laughing with Teech and Thatch.  
I told Teech the story of my fight with Jimbei, with Thatch piping up from time to time with comments like, "That was awesome!", or "Then she did a barrel roll!".  
We stopped when Marco walked I through the door.  
"Hey Marco." I said. "What's up?"  
Marco walked up to the counter and said, "Zia, Pops wants to see you in his quarters, as quickly as possible."

* * *

"What!?" I said, completely astounded.  
"Yup." Pops said. "What do you say, Zia?"  
I just stood there, completely at a loss for words. "I... Ummm, well, I..."  
Pops chuckled. "You don't have to decide right away, Zia. Give yourself some time to think it over." he leaned back and took a deep breath. "And before you ask, Zia, I am serious."  
I swallowed, then I finally managed to choke out. "I'll think about it." Then, I turned, and stepped outside.  
When I was safely out of doors again, I slumped against the wall and put my hand over my heart. "What should I do...?" I breathed.  
I stepped into the galley and took my seat next to Teech. Since I had left, Haruta, Jozu, and Izo had come and sat down.  
I could feel the concern coming from them floating around me like a haze.  
Thatch put down the huge mug he was filling with grog. "Hey, Zia. What's gotten into you? You look a little pale."  
I blinked. Then, I spoke. My voice sounded hollow. I could still barely believe what had happened. "Pops just offered me the position of second division commander."  
All activity stopped. I could feel their gazes on me.  
Then, Thatch's face split into a wide grin. "What!?" he said, laughing. "Why the hell do you look so down?! That's great news!" He clapped me on the shoulder so hard, I almost fell off my stool. "And? What did you say?"  
"I said I would think about it." I said.  
"What?" Haruta exclaimed. "Why do you even need to think about it? Not everyone gets asked to lead a whole division at your age!"  
I turned towards Teech. "You've been in the second division for a lot longer tha I've even been alive." I said. .why didn't he offer you the post?"  
Teech laughed. "That's not really my ambition in life, Zia." he said, taking a huge bite out of his cherry pie. "I think 'commander Zia' sounds really good, don't you, guys?"  
There was a hearty sound of approval from everyone around me.  
I blushed. "Guys, I-"  
They didn't listen. Thatch, Haruta, and Jozu started telling the stories of how they became commanders, and no one seemed to be listening to what I really wanted to say anymore. So, carefully and quietly, I slid off my stool, and snuck out of the galley without anyone noticing me.

* * *

"So that's it." I said, sighing deeply. "I've talked to everyone I can find, but they always say the same thing. They say, 'Go for it! You'll be great!', or 'Why haven't you accepted the offer yet?'. "  
I was sitting next to Sprint's grave marker at the stern. I didn't know who else to talk to at that point. Marco was still away somewhere, doing some kind of patrol duty with a small group from the first division. "How did you feel when you were offered the position, Sprint?" I asked. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?" I sighed and hung my head. "What am I saying?" I almost laughed. "You would tell me to stop beating around the bush and go for it. Just like everyone else I've spoken to today."  
I stopped when someone walked up to me, and sat down to my right.  
"Oh, hey Marco." I said, not looking at him. "How was patrol duty?"  
Marco shrugged. "Kaido's ships are moving oddly, and a lot closer to our borders, but this isn't the first time that's happened." He tilted his head in my direction. "So, I hear Pops offered you a new position."  
I sighed. "I guess you would know about that, wouldn't you?" I said. "Who told you?"  
"Thatch." Marco said simply. "He was on cloud nine. He keeps saying how proud he is of you, Zia. I must say, I'm very proud of you as well. No one's ever been offered that position at your age."  
I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my face in my knees. "That's just it, Marco." I said. "Everyone keeps telling me I'm really good, and that I'm gonna be fine and all that. But Marco, I'm not so sure. I mean, how am I gonna lead over a hundred people? And will they all listen to me?"  
One thing I love about Marco is, he's a really good listener. He just sat there quietly while I just let it all off my chest.  
"You've got your feet on the ground, Zia." he finally said, when he got a word in edgewise. "Being a commander is far from easy. You're the leader, and your entire division's lives on your shoulders."  
I sighed and my shoulders slumped. "See? You know, kind of."  
Marco chuckled slightly. "I wasn't trying to discourage you." he said. "I still think you're capable enough. Pops wouldn't have asked you otherwise."  
I lifted my head. "I'm only thirteen, Marco." I said. "Won't that kinda make the crew look bad, having a kid at the head of the second division?"  
Marco put his hand on my shoulder. "Zia, whatever you decide, just know that you chose best. Pops would rather you refuse his offer than go into a job you don't feel ready for. That's what you're worried about, isn't it? Pops gave you the option, and you feel like you'd let him down if you refuse."  
I nodded.  
Marco gently whacked me over the head. "If you don't feel ready, just tell him. He'll understand."  
I smiled wryly. "Thanks Marco."

* * *

"Gurararara!" Pops laughed. "So that's your answer?"  
I nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, Pops, but I can't accept the post yet. I just don't think I'm old enough or experienced enough."  
Pops bent down and stared me right in the face. "I'm perfectly fine with that! Good for you, saying that!"  
I took a step back. "So, it's not going to be... A problem if I don't accept the job?"  
Pops shook his head. "Nope. And if you ever feel ready, tell me. The post is still open to you."

* * *

"What!?" Thatch yelped. "You turned down the offer?!"  
I nodded, and took a swig of water. "Yeah. I decided that I'll wait, and if there's no one else to take the position later, then I'll rise to it."  
Thatch whacked his head on the counter. "Damn." he said. "You're just clueless..."  
I smirked at him. "Ah, besides, being a commander would be too much work for a thirteen-year-old. And another thing, Thatch..." I said. If I could see him, I'd be glaring at him. "There's also the matter of the paperwork."  
Thatch shot up. "You know about that?" he said, pouting.  
I sighed in irritation. Thatch didn't know that Marco had told me about the paperwork. I had even offered to help Marco with his, once.  
Jozu looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "Ah well." he said. "I guess your authorized practical joke will have to wait, Thatch."  
I frowned. Authorized practical joke? "So that's why." I said.  
Thatch rubbed the back of his head. "Ah well. Say, whatcha reading, Jozu?"  
"Well, Firefist Ace has made another appearance."  
I nearly choked on a piece of steak I was eating. I turned and faced Jozu, frowning. "Now what?" I said.  
"He just destroyed half a marine fleet singlehandedly." Jozu said. "That's pretty impressive."  
I frowned. 'Fire...' I thought in disgust.  
"Well, Zia? What do you think?"  
I whipped around to face my food again. "I honestly couldn't care less." I said, sticking a piece of baked potato in my mouth.

So, that's chapter seven. If you liked, drop a review!

Oh, right! I have to do a shout out!

Deneshka: Yes, hooray for haki!

Callmeeevee: Well, Zia will still be awkward, a bit... Oh, I so enjoy having her trip over things!

Fairy of the Friz: Ace will probably come in a few chapters. I'm not sure if I said this or not, but there's actually a mini arc before he shows up. But, there will be mention of him.

Coco-san: Thank you for the encouragement!

lizziecats : Wow! That's a long review! Thank you for making those suggestions. I think I might use some of them, but they'll be very twisted around. I totally know what you mean about things sounding a lot better in your head. I can't tell you how many times I've thought that.


End file.
